\ 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2014 

https://archive.org/details/inindianmexiconaOOstar_0 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


A  NARRATIVE  OF  TRAVEL 
AND  LABOR 


BY 

FREDERICK  STARR 


CHICAGO 
FORBES  &  COMPANY 
1908 


Copyright,  1908 

BY 

FREDERICK  STARR 


K.  K.  DONNELLEY  &  SONS  COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 
IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED  TO 

A.  A.  ROBINSON 

TO  WHOM  ALL  MY  WORK  IN  MEXICO  IS  DUE 
AND 

WHOSE  INTEREST  HAS  BEEN  CONTINUOUS 
AND  UNFAILING 


PREFACE 


The  reading  public  may  well  ask,  Why  another  travel 
book  on  Mexico?  Few  countries  have  been  so  frequently 
written  up  by  the  traveler.  Many  books,  good,  bad, 
and  indifferent,  but  chiefly  bad,  have  been  perpetrated. 
Most  of  these  books,  however,  cover  the  same  ground,  and 
ground  which  has  been  traversed  by  many  people.  Indian 
Mexico  is  practically  unknown.  The  only  travel- book 
regarding  it,  in  English,  is  Lumholtz's  "  Unknown  Mexico.'* 
The  indians  among  whom  Lumholtz  worked  lived  in 
northwestern  Mexico;  those  among  whom  I  have  studied 
are  in  southern  Mexico.  The  only  district  where  his  work 
and  mine  overlap  is  the  Tarascan  area.  In  fact,  then,  I 
write  upon  an  almost  unknown  and  untouched  subject. 
Lumholtz  studied  life  and  customs;  my  study  has  been  the 
physical  type  of  south  Mexican  indians.  Within  the  area 
covered  by  Lumholtz,  the  physical  characteristics  of  the 
tribes  have  been  studied  by  Hrdlicka.  His  studies  and 
my  own  are  practically  the  only  investigations  within  the 
field. 

There  are  two  Mexicos.  Northern  Mexico  to  the  lati- 
tude of  the  capital  city  is  a  mestizo  country;  the  indians  of 
pure  blood  within  that  area  occupy  limited  and  circum- 
scribed regions.  Southern  Mexico  is  indian  country; 
there  are  large  regions,  where  the  mestizos,  not  the  indians, 
are  the  exception.  From  the  time  of  my  first  contact  with 
Mexican  indians,  I  was  impressed  with  the  notable  dif- 
ferences between  tribes,  and  desired  to  make  a  serious  study 
of  their  types.  In  1895,  the  accidental  meeting  with  a 
priest  from  Guatemala  led  to  my  making  a  journey  to  Cen 


vi 


PREFACE 


tral  America.  It  was  on  that  journey  that  I  saw  how  the 
work  in  question  might  be  done.  While  the  government  of 
Mexico  is  modeled  upon  the  same  pattern  as  our  own,  it  is 
far  more  paternal  in  its  nature.  The  Republic  is  a  con- 
federation of  sovereign  states,  each  of  which  has  its  elected 
governor.  The  states  are  subdivided  into  districts  some- 
what corresponding  to  our  counties,  over  each  of  which  is 
a  jefe  politico  appointed  by  the  governor;  he  has  no  respon- 
sibility to  those  below  him,  but  is  directly  responsible  to  the 
man  who  names  him,  and  who  can  at  will  remove  him; 
he  is  not  expected  to  trouble  the  state  government  unne- 
cessarily, and  as  long  as  he  turns  over  the  taxes  which  are 
due  the  state  he  is  given  a  free  hand.  Within  the  districts 
are  the  cities  and  towns,  each  with  its  local,  independent, 
elected  town  government. 

The  work  I  planned  to  do  among  these  indian  towns 
was  threefold:  i.  The  measurement  of  one  hundred 
men  and  twenty-five  women  in  each  population,  fourteen 
measurements  being  taken  upon  each  subject;  2.  The  mak- 
ing of  pictures, —  portraits,  dress,  occupations,  customs, 
buildings,  and  landscapes;  3.  The  making  of  plaster  busts 
of  five  individuals  in  each  tribe.  To  do  such  work,  of 
course,  involved  difficulty,  as  the  indians  of  Mexico  are 
ignorant,  timid,  and  suspicious.  Much  time  would  be 
necessary,  in  each  village,  if  one  depended  upon  establishing 
friendly  and  personal  relations  with  the  people.  But  with 
government  assistance,  all  might  be  done  promptly  and 
easily.  Such  assistance  was  readily  secured.  Before 
starting  upon  any  given  journey,  I  secured  letters  from  the 
Department  of  Fomento,  one  of  the  Executive  Departments 
of  the  Federal  Government.  These  letters  were  directed 
to  the  governors  of  the  states;  they  were  courteously  worded 
introductions.  From  the  governors,  I  received  letters  of 
a  more  vigorous  character  to  the  jefes  of  the  districts  to  be 


PREFACE 


vii 


visited.  From  the  jefes,  I  received  stringent  orders  upon 
the  local  governments;  these  orders  entered  into  no  detail, 
but  stated  that  I  had  come,  recommended  by  the  superior 
authorities,  for  scientific  investigations;  that  the  local 
authorities  should  furnish  the  necessaries  of  life  at  just 
prices,  and  that  they  should  supply  such  help  as  was  neces- 
sary for  my  investigations.  In  addition  to  the  orders  from 
the  jefes  to  the  town  authorities,  I  carried  a  general  letter 
from  the  governor  of  the  state  to  officials  of  every  grade 
within  its  limits.  This  was  done  in  case  I  should  at  any 
time  reach  towns  in  districts  where  I  had  been  unable  to 
see  the  jeje  politico.  It  was  desirable,  when  possible,  that 
the  jeje  should  be  seen  before  serious  work  was  under- 
taken. As  Governor  Gonzales  of  Oaxaca  once  remarked, 
when  furnishing  me  a  general  letter:  "You  should  always 
see  the  jeje  politico  of  the  district  first.  These  indians 
know  nothing  of  me,  and  often  will  not  recognize  my  name; 
but  the  jeje  of  their  district  they  know,  and  his  orders  they 
will  obey."  In  using  these  official  orders,  I  adopted  what- 
ever methods  were  best  calculated  to  gain  my  ends;  suc- 
cess depended  largely  on  my  taking  matters  into  my  own 
hands.  Each  official  practically  unloaded  me  upon  the 
next  below  him,  with  the  expectation  that  I  should  gain  my 
ends,  if  possible,  but  at  the  same  time  he  felt,  and  I  knew, 
that  his  responsibility  had  ended.  In  case  of  serious  diffi- 
culty, I  could  not  actually  count  upon  the  backing  of  any 
one  above  the  official  with  whom  I  then  was  dealing. 

Upon  the  Guatemala  expedition,  which  took  place  in 
January  -  March,  1896,  my  only  companion  was  Mr. 
Ernst  Lux,  whose  knowledge  of  the  language,  the  country, 
and  the  people  was  of  the  utmost  value.  As  the  result  of 
that  journey,  my  vacations  through  a  period  of  four  years 
were  devoted  to  this  field  of  research.  The  first  field  expe- 
dition covered  the  period  from  November,  1897,  to  the  end 


viii 


PREFACE 


of  March,  1898;  the  plan  of  work  included  the  visiting  of 
a  dozen  or  more  tribes,  with  interpreter,  photographer,  and 
plaster- worker;  the  success  of  the  plan  depended  upon 
others.  Dr.  W.  D.  Powell  was  to  serve  as  interpreter,  Mr. 
Bedros  Tatarian  as  photographer;  at  the  last  moment  the 
plans  regarding  the  plaster- worker  failed;  arrived  in  the 
field,  Dr.  Powell  was  unable  to  carry  out  his  contract;  the 
photographic  work  disintegrated,  and  failure  stared  us  in 
the  face.  Reorganization  took  place.  Rev.  D.  A.  Wilson 
was  secured  as  interpreter,  two  Mexican  plaster- workers, 
Anselmo  Pacheco  of  Puebla  and  Ramon  Godinez  of  Guada- 
lajara, were  discovered,  and  work  was  actually  carried 
through  upon  four  tribes.  The  second  field  expedition 
covered  the  period  of  January-March,  1899;  eight  tribes 
were  visited,  and  a  most  successful  season's  work  was 
done;  Charles  B.  Lang  was  photographer,  Anselmo  Pa 
checo  plaster-worker,  and  Manuel  Gonzales  general  helper. 
The  third  field  season,  January-March,  1900,  was  in  every 
way  successful,  six  populations  being  visited;  my  force  con 
sisted  of  Louis  Grabic  photographer,  Ramon  Godinez 
plaster- worker,  and  Manuel  Gonzales  general  assistant. 
The  work  was  brought  to  a  conclusion  in  January-March, 
1901,  during  which  period  six  tribes  were  visited;  the  party 
was  the  same  as  the  preceding  year. 

"In  Indian  Mexico"  claims  to  be  only  a  narrative  of 
travel  and  of  work.  It  is  intended  for  the  general  public. 
The  scientific  results  of  our  expeditions  have  been  pub- 
lished under  the  following  titles: 

1.  The  Indians  of  Southern  Mexico:  an  Ethnographic 
Album.  Chicago,  1899.  Cloth;  oblong  4to;  pp.  32. 
141  full-page  plates. 

2.  Notes  upon  the  Ethnography  of  Southern  Mexico. 
1900.  8vo,  pp.  98.  72  cuts,  maps,  etc.  Proc.  Dav.  Acad. 
Nat.  Sci.,  Vol.  VIII. 


PREFACE 


IX 


3.  Notes  on  the  Ethnography  of  Southern  Mexico, 
Part  II.  1902.  8vo,  pp.  109.  52  cuts,  map,  etc.  Proc. 
Dav.  Acad.  Nat.  Sci.,  Vol.  IX. 

4.  The  Physical  Characters  of  the  Indians  of  South- 
ern Mexico.  4to,  59  pp.  Sketch  map,  color  diagram, 
and  30  double  cuts.  Decennial  Publications,  University 
of  Chicago,  1902. 

5.  The  Mapa  de  Cuauhtlantzinco  or  Codice  Campos. 
1898.  8vo,  pp.  38.  46  engravings.  University  of  Chicago 
Press. 

6.  Recent  Mexican  Study  of  the  Native  Languages  of 
Mexico.    1900.    8vo,  pp.  19.    7  portraits. 

7.  Picture  of  Otomi  woman  beating  bark  paper. 
Printed  on  sheet  of  the  original  paper;  mounted. 

8.  The  Mapa  of  Huilotepec.  Reproduction;  single 
sheet,  mounted. 

9.  The  Mapa  of  Huauhtla.  Reproduction;  single 
sheet,  mounted. 

10.  Survivals  of  Paganism  in  Mexico.  The  Open 
Court.  1899. 

11.  Mexican  Paper.    American  Antiquarian.  1900. 

12.  The  Sacral  Spot  in  Maya  Indians.  Science.  1903. 
Naturally,  in  a  work  of  such  extent  we  have  been  under 

obligation  to  many  parties.  It  is  impossible  to  acknowl- 
edge, in  detail,  such  obligations.  We  must,  however,  ex- 
press our  indebtedness,  for  assistance  rendered,  to  the  Mexi- 
can Central  Railroad,  the  Mexican  Railway,  the  Mexican 
National  Railroad,  the  Tehuantepec  Railroad,  the  Mexican 
Southern  Railroad,  and  the  Interoceanic  Railroad;  also 
to  the  Ward  Line  of  steamers.  Among  individuals,  it  is 
no  unfair  discrimination  to  express  especial  thanks  to  Mr. 
A.  A.  Robinson  and  Mr.  A.  L.  Van  Antwerp.  President 
Diaz  has  ever  shown  a  friendly  interest  in  my  plans  of  work 
and  the  results  obtained.    Senor  Manuel  Fernandez  Leal, 


X 


PREFACE 


Minister  of  the  Department  of  Fomento,  more  than  any 
other  official,  lent  us  every  aid  and  assistance  in  his  power; 
his  successor,  Senor  Leandro  Fernandez,  continued  the 
kindness  shown  by  Minister  Leal.  And  to  all  the  gover- 
nors of  the  states  and  to  the  jefes  of  the  districts  we  are 
under  many  obligations,  and  express  to  each  and  all  our 
appreciation  of  their  kind  assistance.  Those  personal 
friends  who  have  been  helpful  in  this  specific  work  in  In- 
dian Mexico  are  mentioned  in  the  appropriate  places  in 
the  text.  To  those  companions  and  assistants  who  accom- 
panied us  upon  the  journeys  a  large  part  of  the  results  of 
this  work  are  due. 

Chicago,  January,  1908. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 

PAGE 

I. 

Priestly  Archeology  . 

• 

I 

n. 

We  Start  for  Guatemala  . 

•  13 

in. 

The  Land  of  the  Mixes 

22 

IV. 

Through  Chiapas  . 

•  39 

v. 

At  Huixquilucan  . 

.  56 

VI. 

Lake  Patzcuaro  . 

.  68 

VII. 

To  Uruapan  before  the  Railroad 

.  76 

VIII. 

Tlaxcala   

•  85 

IX. 

Zamora  and  the  Once  Pueblos  . 

•  95 

X. 

The  Boy  with  the  Smile 

.  108 

XI. 

In  the  Mixteca  Alta  . 

.  112 

XII. 

The  Mixes  Revisited  ... 

.  142 

XIII. 

About  Tehuantepec  . 

.  161 

XIV. 

On  the  Main  Highroad 

-  173 

XV. 

CUICATLAN  

.  181 

XVI. 

In  Tlaxcalan  Towns  . 

.  188 

XVII. 

In  the  Chinantla  . 

.  198 

XVIII. 

TO  COIXTLAHUACA  

.  216 

XIX. 

HUAUHTLA  AND  THE  MAZATECS 

.  228 

XX. 

Tepehuas  and  Totonacs 

•  239 

XXI. 

In  the  Huaxteca  . 

•  274 

XXII. 

In  Maya  Land  . 

•  293 

XXIII. 

Ox-cart  Experiences  .... 

•  328 

XXIV. 

At  Tuxtla  Gutierrez  . 

•  35i 

XXV. 

TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS 

•  36o 

XXVI. 

Chols  

.  381 

XXVII. 

Conclusion  ...... 

Glossary     .  . 

Appendix  ...... 

•  395 

•  399 

•  405 

IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


CHAPTER  1 

PRIESTLY  ARCHEOLOGY 
(i89S) 

T  X  7HILE  we  stood  in  the  Puebla  station,  waiting  for 
*  *  the  train  to  be  made  ready,  we  noticed  a  priest, 
who  was  buying  his  ticket  at  the  office.  On  boarding  the 
train,  we  saw  nothing  of  him,  as  he  had  entered  another 
car.  Soon  after  we  started,  Herman  made  his  usual  trip 
of  inspection  through  the  train,  and  on  his  return  told  me 
that  a  learned  priest  was  in  the  second-class  coach,  and  that 
I  ought  to  know  him.  As  I  paid  no  great  attention  to  his 
suggestion,  he  soon  deserted  me  for  his  priestly  friend,  but 
presently  returned  and  renewed  his  advice.  He  told  me 
this  priest  was  no  common  man;  that  he  was  an  ardent 
archaeologist;  that  he  not  only  collected  relics,  but  made  full 
notes  and  diagrams  of  all  his  investigations;  that  he  cared 
for  live  indians  also,  and  had  made  a  great  collection  of 
dress,  weapons,  and  tools,  among  Guatemalan  tribes. 
When  I  even  yet  showed  no  intention  of  hurrying  in  to  visit 
his  new  acquaintance,  the  boy  said:  "You  must  come  in 
to  see  him,  for  I  promised  him  you  would,  and  you  ought 
not  to  prove  me  to  be  a  liar." 

This  appeal  proved  effectual  and  I  soon  called  upon  the 
priestly  archaeologist  in  the  other  car.  He  was  an  interest- 
ing man.  By  birth  a  German,  he  spoke  excellent  English ; 
born  of  Protestant  parents  and  reared  in  their  faith,  in  early 
manhood  be  became  a  Catholic;   renounced  by  his  parents 


2 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


and  left  without  support,  he  was  befriended  by  Jesuits  and 
determined  to  become  a  priest.  Entering  the  ministry  at 
twenty-nine  years  of  age,  he  was  sent  as  mission  priest  to 
foreign  lands.  He  had  lived  in  California,  Utah,  and  Ne- 
vada; he  had  labored  in  Ecuador,  Panama,  and  Guatemala. 
His  interest  in  archaeology,  kindled  in  the  Southwest,  con- 
tinued in  his  later  fields  of  labor.  Waxing  confidential  he 
said:  "I  am  a  priest  first,  because  I  must  live,  but  it  does 
not  interfere  much  with  my  archaeology."  For  years  past 
the  padre  has  lived  in  Guatemala,  where  he  had  charge  of 
one  of  the  largest  parishes  in  that  Republic,  with  some 
eighteen  thousand  full-blood  indians  in  his  charge.  Like 
most  Germans  a  linguist,  the  padre  spoke  German,  French, 
Spanish,  English,  and  Quiche,  the  most  important  indian 
speech  of  Guatemala.  In  his  parish,  he  so  arranged  his 
work  as  to  leave  most  of  his  time  free  for  investigation. 
Twice  a  week  he  had  baptisms,  on  Thursday  and  Sunday; 
these  duties  on  Thursday  took  but  a  couple  of  hours,  leav- 
ing the  rest  of  the  day  free;  Sundays,  of  course,  were  lost, 
but  not  completely,  for  the  indians  often  then  told  him  of 
new  localities,  where  diggings  might  be  undertaken.  Always 
when  digging  into  ancient  mounds  and  graves,  he  had  his 
horse  near  by  ready  for  mounting,  and  his  oil  and  other 
necessaries  at  hand,  in  case  he  should  be  summoned  to  the 
bedside  of  the  dying.  As  the  indians  always  knew  where 
to  look  for  him,  no  time  was  lost. 

Not  only  was  the  padre  an  archaeologist:  he  also  gath- 
ered plants,  birds,  and  insects.  When  he  was  leaving  Ger- 
many, his  nephew,  the  ten-year-old  child  of  his  sister,  wished 
to  accompany  him.  The  parents  refused  their  permission, 
but  the  uncle  gave  the  boy  some  money,  and  they  met  each 
other  in  Frankfort  and  started  on  their  journey.  They 
have  been  together  ever  since.  The  padre  depends  com- 
pletely on  the  younger  man,  whom  he  has  fashioned  to  his 


PRIESTLY  ARCHAEOLOGY 


mind.  The  plants,  birdskins,  and  insects  have  supplied  a 
steady  income.  The  plants  cost  labor;  insects  were  easier 
to  get.  All  the  indian  boys  in  the  parish  were  supplied 
with  poison- bottles  and  set  to  work;  a  stock  of  prints  of 
saints,  beads,  medals,  and  crucifixes  was  doled  out  to  the 
little  collectors,  according  to  the  value  of  their  trophies. 
To  allay  the  suspicions  of  his  parishioners,  the  padre  an- 
nounced that  he  used  the  insects  in  making  medicines. 
One  Sunday  a  pious  old  indian  woman  brought  to  church 
a  great  beetle,  which  she  had  caught  in  her  corn  field  four 
days  before;  during  that  time  it  had  been  tied  by  a  string 
to  her  bed's  leg;  she  received  a  medal.  One  day  a  man 
brought  a  bag  containing  some  five  hundred  living  insects; 
on  opening  it,  they  all  escaped  into  the  house,  causing  a 
lively  time  for  their  recapture. 

The  nephew,  Ernst,  had  made  a  collection  of  eleven 
hundred  skins  of  Guatemalan  birds.  The  padre  and  he 
have  supplied  specimens  to  many  of  the  great  museums  of 
the  world,  but  the  choicest  things  have  never  been  permitted 
to  leave  their  hands. 

The  padre  is  a  great  success  at  getting  into  trouble. 
He  fled  from  Ecuador  on  account  of  political  difficulties; 
his  stay  in  Guatemala  is  the  longest  he  has  ever  made  in  one 
place.  During  his  eight  years  there  he  was  successful; 
but  he  finally  antagonized  the  government,  was  arrested, 
and  thrown  into  jail.  He  succeeded  in  escaping,  fled  to 
Salvador,  and  from  there  made  his  way  to  the  United 
States,  where,  for  a  little  time,  he  worked,  unhappily,  at 
San  Antonio,  Texas.  A  short  time  since,  the  Archbishop 
of  Oaxaca  was  in  Texas,  met  the  padre,  and  promised  him 
an  appointment  in  his  diocese.  The  padre  was  now  on 
his  way  to  Oaxaca  to  see  the  prelate  and  receive  his  charge. 

He  was  full  of  hope  for  a  happy  future.  When  he 
learned  that  we  were  bound  for  the  ruins  of  Mitla,  he  was 


4 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


fired  with  a  desire  to  accompany  us.  At  Oaxaca  we  sep- 
arated, going  to  different  hotels.  My  party  was  counting 
upon  the  company  of  Mr.  Lucius  Smith,  as  interpreter  and 
companion,  to  the  ruins,  but  we  were  behind  our  appoint- 
ment and  he  had  gone  upon  another  expedition.  This 
delighted  the  padre,  who  saw  a  new  light  upon  the  path  of 
duty.  The  archbishop  had  received  him  cordially,  and 
had  given  him  a  parish,  although  less  than  a  day  had  passed 
since  his  arrival.  When  the  padre  knew  of  our  disappoint- 
ment, he  hastened  to  his  prelate,  told  him  that  an  eminent 
American  archaeologist,  with  a  party  of  four,  wished  to 
visit  Mitla,  but  had  no  interpreter;  might  he  not  accom- 
pany these  worthy  gentlemen,  in  some  way  serving  mother 
church  by  doing  so?  So  strong  was  his  appeal,  that  he 
was  deputed  to  say  mass  at  Mitla  Sunday,  starting  for  his 
new  parish  of  Chila  on  the  Monday  following. 

In  the  heavy,  lumbering  coach  we  left  next  morning, 
Saturday,  for  Mitla.  The  road,  usually  deep  with  dust, 
was  in  fair  condition  on  account  of  recent  rains.  We 
arrived  in  the  early  afternoon  and  at  once  betook  ourselves 
to  the  ruins.  At  the  curacy,  we  presented  the  archbishop's 
letter  to  the  indian  cura,  who  turned  it  over  once  or  twice, 
then  asked  the  padre  to  read  it,  as  his  eyes  were  bad.  While 
the  reading  proceeded,  the  old  man  listened  with  wonder, 
and  then  exclaimed,  "What  a  learned  man  you  are  to  read 
like  that!  "  As  we  left,  the  padre  expressed  his  feelings 
at  the  comeliness  of  the  old  priest's  indian  housekeeper,  at 
the  number  of  her  children,  at  the  suspicious  wideness  of 
his  bed,  and  at  his  ignorance,  in  wearing  a  ring,  for  all  the 
world  just  like  a  bishop's.  But  he  soon  forgot  his  pious 
irritation  amid  those  marvelous  ruins  of  past  grandeur. 
In  our  early  ramble  he  lost  no  opportunity  to  tell  the  in- 
dians  that  he  would  repeat  mass  on  the  morrow  at  seven, 
and  that  they  should  make  a  special  effort  to  be  present. 


The  Padre,  Ernst  and  the  Dogs 


PRIESTLY  ARCHEOLOGY 


5 


But  as  we  wandered  from  one  to  another  of  the  ancient 
buildings,  the  thought  of  the  morrow's  duty  lost  its  sweet 
ness.  He  several  times  remarked  that  it  was  a  great  pity  to 
lose  any  of  our  precious  morning  hours  in  saying  mass, 
when  there  were  ruins  of  such  interest  to  be  seen.  These 
complaints  gained  in  force  and  frequency  as  evening  ap- 
proached, until  finally,  as  we  sat  at  supper,  he  announced 
his  decision  to  say  mass  before  daybreak;  he  would  call 
me  at  five  o'clock,  we  would  go  directly  to  the  church, 
we  would  be  through  service  before  six,  would  take  our 
morning's  coffee  immediately  after,  and  then  would  have 
quite  a  piece  of  the  morning  left  for  the  ruins,  before  the 
coach  should  leave  for  Oaxaca. 

The  plan  was  carried  out  in  detail.  At  five  we  were 
called  from  our  beds  by  the  anxious  padre.  Herman  and 
I  were  the  only  members  of  the  party  who  were  sufficiently 
devout  to  care  to  hear  mass  so  early.  With  the  padre,  we 
stumbled  in  the  darkness  up  to  the  church,  where  we  roused 
the  old  woman  who  kept  the  key  and  the  boy  who  rang  the 
bell.  The  vestments  were  produced,  the  padre  hastily 
robed,  and  the  bell  rung;  the  padre  was  evidently  irritated 
at  the  absence  of  a  congregation,  as  he  showed  by  the  rapid 
and  careless  way  in  which  he  repeated  the  first  part  of  the 
service.  When,  however,  at  the  Credo,  he  turned  and  saw 
that  several  poor  indians  had  quietly  crept  in,  a  change 
came  over  him;  his  tone  became  fuller,  his  manner  more 
dignified,  and  the  service  itself  more  impressive  and  deco- 
rous. Still,  we  were  through  long  before  six,  and  throwing 
off  his  vestments,  which  he  left  the  boy  to  put  away,  the 
padre  seized  me  by  the  arm,  and  we  hastened  down  the  hill 
to  our  morning's  coffee.  On  the  way  we  met  a  number  of 
indians  on  their  way  to  mass,  whom  the  padre  sternly 
rebuked  for  their  laziness  and  want  of  devotion.  Immedi- 
ately after  coffee,  we  were  among  the  ruins. 


6 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


The  padre  had  kindly  arranged  for  my  presentation  to 
his  Grace,  Archbishop  Gillow.  Reaching  Oaxaca  late  on 
Sunday  afternoon,  we  called  at  the  Palace.  His  Grace  is 
a  man  of  good  presence,  with  a  face  of  some  strength  and 
a  courteous  and  gracious  manner.  He  appeared  to  be 
about  fifty-five  years  of  age.  After  the  padre  had  knelt 
and  kissed  the  ring,  the  archbishop  invited  us  to  be  seated, 
expressed  an  interest  in  our  trip  to  Mitla,  hoping  that  it  had 
proved  successful.  He  then  spoke  at  some  length  in  regard 
to  his  diocese.  He  emphasized  its  diversity  in  climate  and 
productions,  the  wide  range  of  its  plant  life,  the  great  num- 
ber of  indian  tribes  which  occupied  it,  the  Babel  of  tongues 
within  it,  its  vast  mineral  wealth.  A  Mexican  by  birth,  the 
archbishop  is,  in  part,  of  English  blood  and  was  educated, 
as  a  boy,  in  England.  He  speaks  English  easily  and  well. 
He  showed  us  many  curious  and  interesting  things.  Among 
these  was  a  cylindrical,  box-like  figure  of  a  rain-god,  which 
was  found  by  a  priest  upon  his  arrival  at  the  Mixe  Indian 
village  of  Mixistlan.*  It  was  in  the  village  church,  at  the 
high  altar  where  it  shared  worship  with  the  virgin  and 
the  crucifix.  The  archbishop  himself,  in  his  description  of 
the  incident,  used  the  word  latria.  We  were  also  shown 
a  little  cross,  which  stood  upon  the  archbishop's  writing- 
table,  made  in  part  from  a  fragment  of  that  miraculous 
cross,  which  was  found  by  Sir  Francis  Drake,  upon  the 
west  coast.  That  "terrible  fanatic"  tried  to  destroy  it, 
according  to  a  well-known  story.  The  cross  was  found 
standing  when  the  Spaniards  first  arrived  and  is  commonly 
attributed  to  St.  Thomas.  Sir  Francis  upon  seeing  this 
emblem  of  a  hated  faith,  first  gave  orders  to  hew  it  down 
with  axesr  but  axes  were  not  sharp  enough  to  harm  it. 
Fires  were  then  kindled  to  burn  it,  but  had  no  effect.  Ropes 
were  attached  to  it  and  many  men  were  set  to  drag  it  from 

*  Survivals  of  Paganism  in  Mexico.    The  Open  Court.  1899. 


PRIESTLY  ARCHEOLOGY 


7 


the  sand ;  but  all  their  efforts  could  not  move  it.  So  it  was 
left  standing,  and  from  that  time  became  an  object  of  es- 
pecial veneration.  Time,  however,  destroys  all  things. 
People  were  constantly  breaking  off  bits  of  the  sacred  em- 
blem for  relics  until  so  little  was  left  of  the  trunk  near  the 
ground  that  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  remove  the  cross. 
The  diggers  were  surprised  to  find  that  it  had  never  set 
more  than  a  foot  into  the  sand.  This  shows  the  greatness 
of  the  miracle. 

The  padre  had  been  assigned  to  the  parish  of  Chila,  a 
great  indian  town,  near  Tehuacan.  Early  the  next  morn- 
ing he  left  for  his  new  home. 

•¥  H»  H*  H* 

Not  only  did  the  padre,  while  in  Oaxaca,  urge  us  to  call 
upon  him  in  his  new  parish;  after  he  was  settled,  he  re- 
newed his  invitation.  So  we  started  for  Chila.  We  had 
been  in  the  tierra  caliente,  at  Cordoba.  From  there  we 
went  by  rail  to  Esperanza,  from  which  uninteresting  town 
we  took  a  street-car  line,  forty-two  miles  long,  to  Tehuacan. 
This  saved  us  time,  distance,  and  money,  and  gave  us  a 
brand-new  experience.  There  were  three  coaches  on  our 
train,  first-,  second-,  and  third-class.  When  buying  tickets 
we  struck  acquaintance  with  a  Syrian  peddler.  Three  of 
these  were  travelling  together;  one  of  them  spoke  a  little 
English,  being  proficient  in  profanity.  He  likes  the  United 
States,  per  se,  and  does  not  like  Mexico;  but  he  says  the 
latter  is  the  better  for  trade.  "In  the  United  States,  you  sell 
maybe  fifteen,  twenty-five,  fifty  cents  a  day;  here  ten,  fif- 
teen, twenty-five  dollars."  The  trip  lasted  three  hours  and 
involved  three  changes  of  mules  at  stations,  where  we  found 
all  the  excitement  and  bustle  of  a  true  railroad  station. 

The  country  was,  at  first,  rolling,  with  a  sparse  growth 
of  yuccas,  many  of  which  were  exceptionally  large  and  fine. 
On  the  hills  were  occasional  haciendas.    This  broken  dis^ 


8 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


trict  was  succeeded  by  a  genuine  desert,  covered  with  fine 
dust,  which  rose,  as  we  rode,  in  suffocating  clouds.  Here 
the  valley  began  to  close  in  upon  us  and  its  slopes  were 
sprinkled  with  great  cushion  cactuses  in  strange  and  gro- 
tesque forms.  After  this  desert  gorge,  we  came  out  into 
a  more  open  and  more  fertile  district  extending  to  Tehua- 
can.    Even  this,  however,  was  dry  and  sunburned. 

Our  party  numbered  four.  We  had  written  and  tele- 
graphed to  the  padre  and  expected  that  he,  or  Ernst, 
would  meet  us  in  Tehuacan.  Neither  was  there.  No  one 
seemed  to  know  just  how  far  it  was  to  Chila.  Replies  to 
our  inquiries  ranged  from  five  to  ten  leagues  *  Looking 
for  some  mode  of  conveyance,  we  refused  a  coach,  offered 
at  fifteen  pesos,  as  the  price  seemed  high.  Hunting  horses, 
we  found  four,  which  with  a  foot  mozo  to  bring  them  back, 
would  cost  twenty  pesos.  Telling  the  owner  that  we  were 
not  buying  horses,  but  merely  renting,  we  returned  to  the 
proprietor  of  the  coach  and  stated  that  we  would  take  it, 
though  his  price  was  high,  and  that  he  should  send  it  with- 
out delay  to  the  railroad  station,  where  our  companions 
were  waiting.  Upon  this  the  owner  of  the  coach  pretended 
that  he  had  not  understood  that  there  were  four  of  us 
(though  we  had  plainly  so  informed  him);  his  price  was 
for  two.  If  we  were  four,  he  must  have  forty  pesos.  A 
fair  price  here  might  be  eight  pesos  for  the  coach,  or  four 
for  horses.  So  we  told  the  coach  owner  that  we  would 
walk  to  Chila,  rather  than  submit  to  such  extortion.  This 
amused  him  greatly  and  he  made  some  facetious  observa- 
tions, which  determined  me  to  actually  perform  the  trip  on 
foot.  Returning  to  the  railroad  station,  where  two  of  the 
party  were  waiting,  I  announced  my  intention  of  walking 
to  Chila;  as  the  way  was  long  and  the  sand  heavy  and  the 
padre's  silence  and  non-appearance  boded  no  great  hospi- 

*The  Mexican  league  is  2.7  miles. 


PRIESTLY  ARCHEOLOGY 


tality  in  welcome,  I  directed  the  rest  to  remain  comfortably 
at  Tehuacan  until  my  return  on  the  next  day.  Herman, 
however,  refused  the  proposition;  my  scheme  was  danger- 
ous; for  me  to  go  alone,  at  night,  over  a  strange  road,  to 
Chila  was  foolhardy;  he  should  accompany  me  to  protect 
me.  Consenting  that  he  should  accompany,  we  began  to 
seek  a  mozo,  as  guide  to  Chila.  With  difficulty,  and  some 
loss  of  time,  one  was  found  who  would  undertake  the  busi- 
ness for  two  pesos.  In  vain  a  Jew  peddler  standing  by  and 
the  station  agent  remonstrated  with  the  man;  two  pesos 
was  a  full  week's  wages;  it  was  ridiculous  to  demand  such 
a  price  for  guiding  two  foot  travellers  to  Chila.  He  ad- 
mitted that  two  pesos  might  be  a  week's  wages;  but  he  did 
not  have  to  go  to  Chila  and  if  we  wanted  him  to  do  so  we 
must  pay  his  price.  We  capitulated,  the  station  agent 
loaned  us  a  revolver,  we  left  our  friends  behind  us  and 
started  on  our  journey.  It  was  now  dark.  In  a  mysterious 
voice,  our  guide  said  we  must  go  first  to  his  house; 
there  he  secured  his  serape  and  a  heavy  club.  As  we  left 
his  house  he  feared  we  must  be  hungry  and  indicated  a 
bread-shop;  we  purchased  and  all  three  ate  as  we  walked; 
a  moment  later  he  suggested  that  we  would  need  cigarros 
of  course,  and  a  stock  of  these  were  added,  at  our  expense. 
Then,  at  last,  we  came  down  to  business. 

Plainly  our  guide  did  not  enjoy  his  task.  Shortly  after 
we  started,  the  moon  rose  and,  from  its  shining  full  on  the 
light  sand,  it  was  almost  as  bright  as  day.  We  were  in 
single  file,  our  guide,  Herman,  and  I.  At  sight  of  every 
bush  or  indistinct  object,  our  guide  clutched  his  club  and 
crossed  himself,  as  he  mumbled  a  prayer.  When  we  met 
anyone,  we  kept  strictly  to  our  side  of  the  road,  they  to 
theirs,  and,  in  passing,  barely  exchanged  a  word  of  greeting. 
The  timidity  and  terror  of  our  guide  increased  as  we  ad- 
vanced, until  I  concluded  to  be  prepared  for  any  emer- 


IO 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


gency  and  carried  the  revolver  in  my  hand,  instead  of  in  my 
pocket.  Mile  after  mile  we  trudged  along  through  the 
heavy  sand,  into  which  we  sunk  so  far  that  our  low  shoes 
repeatedly  became  filled  and  we  had  to  stop  to  take  them 
off  and  empty  them.  We  passed  through  San  Pablo,  left 
the  Hacienda  of  San  Andres  to  one  hand,  and,  finally,  at 
10:10  found  ourselves  in  the  great  indian  town  of  San  Ga- 
briel de  Chila.  It  was  much  larger  than  we  had  antici- 
pated and  almost  purely  indian.  We  walked  through  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  town  before  we  reached  the 
plaza,  the  church,  and  the  curato.  Our  journey  had  prob- 
ably been  one  of  fifteen  miles.  All  was  dark  at  the  curato; 
an  indian  was  sleeping  in  the  corridor,  but  he  was  a  traveller 
and  gave  us  no  information  on  being  awakened.  At  our 
third  or  fourth  pounding  upon  the  door,  Ernst  appeared 
at  the  window;  on  learning  who  we  were  he  hastened  to 
let  us  in.  He  reported  trouble  in  the  camp;  the  padre  had 
gone  hastily  to  Oaxaca  to  see  the  archbishop;  our  telegram 
had  not  been  received ;  our  letter  came  that  morning.  We 
found  that  things  were  packed  ready  for  removal.  A  good 
supper  was  soon  ready,  but  while  it  was  being  prepared  we 
took  a  cool  bath,  by  moonlight,  in  the  trough  bath-tub  out 
in  the  patio. 

In  the  morning  we  heard  the  full  story.  Formerly  there 
was  here  a  priest,  who  devoted  his  whole  life  to  this  parish, 
growing  old  in  its  service;  in  his  old  age  he  was  pensioned, 
with  sixty  pesos  monthly  from  the  parish  receipts.  The 
priest  who  succeeded  him,  coming  something  over  three 
years  ago,  was  a  much  younger  man.  During  his  three 
years  of  service,  he  was  continually  grumbling;  the  work 
was  hard,  his  health  was  bad  at  Chila,  the  heat  was  intol- 
erable; he  wished  another  parish.  The  archbishop  finally 
took  him  at  his  word;  without  warning  he  transferred  him 
to  another  parish,  and  sent  our  friend,  the  archaeologist  here, 


PRIESTLY  ARCHEOLOGY 


in  his  place.  This  did  not  suit  the  man  relieved;  Chila 
itself  was  much  to  his  liking;  what  he  really  wanted  was  to 
be  relieved  from  the  support  of  his  superannuated  predeces- 
sor. No  sooner  was  he  transferred  than  he  began  to  look 
with  longing  on  his  former  charge  and  to  make  a  vigorous 
effort  to  regain  it.  Accusations  were  hurried  to  Oaxaca; 
the  new  priest  was  pursuing  agriculture  as  a  means  of 
profit;  he  had  not  paid  the  dues  to  the  aged  priest;  he 
had  himself  admitted  to  parishioners  that  his  object  in 
coming  to  Chila  was  more  to  study  antiquities  and  natural 
history  than  to  preach  the  gospel.  It  is  claimed  that, 
immediately  on  receiving  this  communication,  the  arch- 
bishop sent  a  peremptory  letter  to  the  padre  demanding 
an  explanation ;  this  letter,  Ernst  said,  never  was  delivered, 
hence  no  explanation  was  sent.  The  prelate  acted  promptly; 
orders  were  sent  to  our  friend  to  give  up  the  parish  to  the 
former  priest,  who  appeared  on  the  scene  to  receive  his 
charge.  Then,  and  then  only,  it  is  said  the  delayed  letter 
came  to  light.  The  padre  had  left,  at  once,  for  Oaxaca 
and  his  archbishop.  From  there  he  sent  messages  by 
telegraph:  "Pack  up,  and  come  to  Tehuacan;,,  "Wait  until 
you  hear  further. "  A  third  came  the  morning  we  were 
there:  "Pack  up;  meet  me  at  Tehuacan,  ready  to  go  to  a 
new  parish." 

It  was  really  sad  to  look  about  the  new  home,  to  which 
he  had  come  with  such  buoyant  hopes  and  of  which  he  had 
been  so  soon  dispossessed.  When  he  arrived,  the  place  was 
neglected  and  filthy;  two  whole  days  were  necessary  to 
clean  it.  It  had  contained  practically  no  furniture;  he 
had  made  it  look  like  a  place  in  which  to  live.  He  had 
improved  and  beautified  its  surroundings.  He  had  planted 
a  little  corn  and  set  out  some  young  banana  trees;  he  had 
gathered  many  species  of  cactus  from  the  neighboring  hills 
and  had  built  up  a  fine  bed  of  the  strange  plants  in  his  patio. 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Passionately  fond  of  pets,  he  had  two  magnificent  grey- 
hounds and  a  pug  —  all  brought  from  Guatemala  —  a 
black  collie,  doves,  hens  and  turkeys  on  the  place.  And 
now,  he  was  again  without  a  home  and  his  time,  money,  and 
labor  were  lost. 

Ernst  accompanied  us  to  Tehuacan.  We  rented  three 
horses  and  a  man  on  foot  went  with  us  to  bring  them  back 
to  the  village.  And  for  the  whole  we  paid  the  regular  price 
of  eighty-seven  centavos  —  twenty-five  each  for  the  animals, 
and  twelve  centavos  for  the  man  —  something  less  than  the 
twenty  pesos  demanded  the  day  before  at  Tehuacan. 


CHAPTER  II 


WE  START  FOR  GUATEMALA 
(1896) 

*T*HE  evening  we  were  at  Mitla,  Senor  Quiero  came 
hurrying  to  our  room  and  urged  us  to  step  out  to  the 
corridor  before  the  house  to  see  some  Mixes.  It  was  our 
first  glimpse  of  representatives  of  this  little  known  mountain 
people.  Some  thirty  of  them,  men  and  women,  loaded  with 
fruit,  coffee,  and  charcoal,  were  on  their  way  to  the  great 
fair  and  market,  at  Tlacolula.  They  had  now  stopped  for 
the  night  and  had  piled  their  burdens  against  the  wall. 
Wrapping  themselves  in  their  tattered  and  dirty  blankets, 
they  laid  themselves  down  on  the  stone  floor,  so  close 
together  that  they  reminded  me  of  sardines  in  a  box. 
With  a  blazing  splinter  of  fat  pine  for  torch,  we  made  our 
inspection.  Their  broad  dark  faces,  wide  flat  noses,  thick 
lips  and  projecting  jaws,  their  coarse  clothing,  their  filthi- 
ness,  their  harsh  and  guttural  speech,  profoundly  impressed 
me  and  I  resolved  to  penetrate  into  their  country  and  see 
them  in  their  homes,  at  the  first  opportunity. 

Our  friend  the  padre  never  tired  of  telling  how  much 
more  interesting  Guatemala  was  than  Mexico;  he  could 
not  understand  why  any  man  of  sense  should  waste  his  time 
in  Mexico,  a  land  so  large  that  a  dozen  students  could  not 
begin  to  solve  its  problems,  while  Guatemala,  full  of  inter- 
esting ruins  and  crowded  with  attractive  indians,  was  of 
such  size  that  one  man's  lifetime  could  count  for  something. 
His  tales  of  indian  towns,  life,  dress,  customs,  kindled  en- 
thusiasm; but  it  was  only  after  thinking  over  the  Mixes, 

13 


14 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


that  I  decided  to  make  a  journey  to  Guatemala.  The 
padre,  himself,  could  not  accompany  me,  being  a  political 
refugee,  but  he  had  told  me  Ernst  should  go  with  me. 
After  three  months'  consideration  my  plan  was  made.  We 
would  start  from  Oaxaca  overland  via  the  Mixes  country ; 
we  would  everywhere  keep  in  the  mountains;  in  Chiapas 
we  would  completely  avoid  the  usual  highway,  hot  and 
dusty,  near  the  coast;  in  Guatemala  itself,  we  would  go 
by  Nenton,  Huehuetenango  and  Nibaj.  This  did  not  suit 
the  padre:  he  had  had  in  mind  a  journey  all  rail  and 
steamer;  and  friends,  long  resident  in  Mexico,  shook  their 
heads  and  spoke  of  fatigues  and  dangers.  But  I  was 
adamant;  the  Mixes  drew  me;  we  would  go  overland,  on 
horse,  or  not  at  all. 

When  the  Padre  left  Chila,  he  took  a  letter  of  recom- 
mendation from  the  Archbishop  of  Oaxaca  to  the  Bishop 
of  Vera  Cruz  at  Jalapa.  By  him,  the  padre  was  located 
at  Medellin,  a  few  miles  from  Vera  Cruz  itself.  Thither 
I  journeyed  to  join  Ernst  and  make  the  final  preparations 
for  the  journey.  Ernst  met  me  at  the  station  at  6:30  in 
the  evening  and  we  stayed  the  night  in  the  hot,  mosquito- 
tortured,  plague-stricken  city.  Leaving  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  morning  we  were  at  Medellin  in  an  hour.  Our  jour- 
ney was  through  low,  swampy  ground  on  which  the  chief 
growth  was  of  palm.  The  padre,  whom  we  had  not  seen 
since  we  parted  at  Oaxaca,  met  us  at  the  station  and  took  us 
at  once  to  his  house.  The  town  is  small,  the  population 
a  miserable  mixture  of  black,  white,  and  indian  elements. 
Few  of  the  couples  living  there  have  been  legally  married. 
The  parish  is  one  of  the  worst  in  the  whole  diocese.  The 
bishop  warned  the  padre  that  it  was  an  undesirable  field, 
but  it  was  the  only  one  then  unoccupied.  But  the  padre 
was  working  wonders  and  the  church  was  then  undergoing 
repairs  and  decorations.    The  actual  curato  was  long  ago 


The  Church;  Medellin 


WE  START  FOR  GUATEMALA 


seized  by  the  government  and  is  now  used  as  a  schoolhouse. 
The  priest  lived  in  a  rented  house  close  by  the  river  bank. 
The  house  is  a  double  one  and  the  priest  occupied  but  half 
of  it;  those  in  the  other  half  were  hostile  to  him  and  he  was 
anxious  to  rent  the  whole  place.  His  neighbors,  however, 
did  not  care  to  leave  and  threatened  vengeance;  they  were 
behind  a  mass  of  accusations  filed  against  him  with  the 
bishop.  His  friends  rallied  to  his  support,  sent  in  a  strong 
endorsement,  and  he  remained.  The  padre  had  been 
industrious  while  here.  Behind  his  house  is  the  little  river, 
with  a  bath-house  built  over  it;  crossing  in  a  dugout  canoe 
we  found  his  garden  flourishing,  filled  with  fresh  vegetables. 
The  family  of  pets  had  grown;  Baldur,  Freia,  Votan, 
Doxil  —  the  dogs  —  were  here  as  at  Chila,  but  he  also  had 
fantail  and  capuchin  pigeons,  hens  and  chicks,  ducks  and 
geese,  canary  birds,  and  native  birds  in  cages.  Here  also 
were  archaeological  relics,  plants,  beetles  and  birds  for  gather- 
ing. And  here  too,  for  the  first  time,  I  had  the  opportunity 
of  examining  his  great  collection  of  Ecuadorean  humming- 
birds and  a  magnificent  lot  of  Guatemalan  quetzal  skins, 
among  them  probably  the  finest  ever  collected. 

We  left  Medellin  on  January  8th;  went  by  rail  to  Puebia, 
then  to  Oaxaca.  Here  we  found  our  friend  Doctor  Hyde, 
of  Silao,  who  was  nursing  Lucius  Smith,  in  what  proved 
to  be  a  final  illness.  He  aided  us  in  finding  animals  and 
completing  preparations  for  our  journey.  We  secured  a 
large  bay  horse  for  myself,  a  roan  for  Ernst,  a  little  mule 
for  baggage.  For  my  own  part,  I  dislike  mules;  Ernst  and 
the  doctor,  however,  were  loud  in  their  praise  of  such  a 
beast ;  both  asserted  that  a  good  mule  should  sell  for  double 
its  cost  on  our  arrival  at  Guatemala  City.  When,  finally, 
after  inspecting  a  variety  of  animals  we  found  one  lively, 
young  one,  the  doctor  was  delighted.  Taking  me  to  one 
side,  he  informed  me  that  such  an  opportunity  was  unlikely 


1 6  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


to  occur  again.  I  yielded  and  the  little  mule  was  ours. 
We  named  the  three  animals  Mixe,  Zapotec,  and  Chontal, 
from  three  tribes  through  whose  country  we  expected  to 
pass. 

The  doctor's  helpfulness  was  not  confined  to  advice 
regarding  mules.  He  insisted  upon  our  buying  various 
supplies,  such  as  boxes  of  sardines,  sago,  coffee,  etc.,  the 
utility  of  which  appeared  neither  at  the  time  nor  later. 
Also  at  his  suggestion  a  quart  of  whiskey  was  purchased 
and  carefully  divided  into  two  flasks,  one  for  each  saddlebag. 
Most  useful  of  all  the  doctor's  suggestions,  and  one  for 
which  we  had  reason  many  times  to  thank  him,  was  the 
securing  from  the  governor  of  a  letter  to  all  local  author- 
ities in  the  state,  directing  them  to  supply  us  with  the  neces- 
sities of  life,  at  just  prices. 

We  had  hoped  to  start  from  Oaxaca  in  the  early  morning, 
but  it  was  well  on  in  the  afternoon  before  all  arrangements 
were  completed.  The  doctor  and  his  Mexican  friend  rode 
with  us  to  Tule  to  see  us  well  started.  It  was  out  over  the 
old  road  to  Mitla.  The  afternoon  was  hot,  dust  was  deep, 
and  a  heavy  wind  blew  it  up  into  our  faces  in  clouds.  The 
sun  was  already  setting  when  we  rode  into  Santa  Maria 
Tule,  and  we  went  at  once  to  see  the  famous  cypress  tree, 
which  no  one  in  the  party,  save  myself,  had  seen.  It  seems 
now  to  be  a  single  tree,  but  was  perhaps,  originally,  three; 
at  present  it  displays  a  single,  vast  trunk,  buttressed  with 
heavy  irregular  projecting  columns.  So  irregular  is  this 
enormous  mass  that  no  two  persons  taking  its  girth  exactly 
agree.  We  measured  it  four  feet  above  the  ground  and 
made  the  circumference  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  The 
mass  of  delicate  green  foliage  above  was  compact,  vigorous, 
and  beautiful.  Many  years  ago  Humboldt  cut  a  rectan- 
gular piece  of  bark  from  the  old  trunk  and  on  the  smooth 
surface  thus  exposed  carved  an  inscription  with  his  name. 


WE  START  FOR  GUATEMALA 


Bark  has  since  grown  over  the  sides  and  corners  of  this 
tablet,  but  much  of  the  inscription  may  still  be  read.  Since 
Humboldt's  visit  many  lesser  men  have  gashed  the  old  tree 
to  leave  their  mark. 

As  it  was  now  darkening  we  hurried  to  the  meson  of  the 
village.  The  old  lady  in  charge  received  us  with  suspicion; 
she  could  not  feed  us  and  refused  to  receive  us  into  the  house 
for  the  night;  she  would  permit  us  to  sleep  outside,  in  the 
corridor  —  which  we  might  have  done  without  asking  per- 
mission. At  this  moment,  the  doctor's  friend  remembered 
that  he  knew  a  man  here  and  went  out  to  reconnoitre;  he 
soon  returned  and  led  us  to  his  friend's  house,  where  we 
were  well  received.  A  supper  of  eggs,  tortillas,  and  choco- 
late was  soon  served.  Before  we  had  finished  the  moon 
had  risen  and  by  its  light  the  doctor  and  his  friend  started 
on  their  return  to  town.  We  slept  on  beds,  made  of  boards 
laid  upon  sawhorses,  in  a  grain  storeroom,  where  rats  were 
running  around  all  night  long. 

The  next  day,  we  were  again  at  Mitla.  It  was  a  festival 
day,  that  of  the  Conversion  of  St.  Paul  the  Apostle.  In  the 
evening  there  were  rockets,  the  band  played,  and  a  company 
of  drummers  and  chirimiya  blowers  went  through  the  town. 
Sefior  Quiero  had  fires  of  blazing  pine  knots  at  the  door. 
When  the  procession  passed  we  noted  its  elements.  In 
front  was  the  band  of  ten  boys ;  men  with  curious  standards 
mounted  on  poles  followed.  The  first  of  these  standards 
was  a  figure,  in  strips  of  white  and  pink  tissue  paper,  of  a 
long-legged,  long-necked,  long- billed  bird,  perhaps  a  heron; 
next  stars  of  colored  paper,  with  lights  inside;  then  were 
large  globes,  also  illuminated,  three  of  white  paper  and 
three  in  the  national  colors  —  red,  white,  and  green.  Grand- 
est of  all,  however,  was  a  globular  banner  of  cloth  on  which 
was  painted  a  startling  picture  of  the  saint's  conversion. 
All  of  these  were  carried  high  in  the  air  and  kept  rotating. 


i8 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Behind  the  standard  bearers  came  a  drummer  and  the 
player  on  the  shrill  pipe  or  pito — chirimiya.  The  procession 
stopped  at  Senor  Quiero's  tienda,  and  the  old  man  opened 
both  his  heart  and  his  bottles;  spirits  flowed  freely  to  all 
who  could  crowd  into  the  little  shop  and  bottles  and  packs 
of  cigarros  were  sent  out  to  the  standard-bearers.  As  a 
result  we  were  given  a  vigorous  explosion  of  rockets,  and 
several  pieces  by  the  band,  the  drummer,  and  the  pitero. 

Beyond  Mitla  the  valley  narrows  and  the  road  rises  onto 
a  gently  sloping  terrace;  when  it  strikes  the  mountains  it 
soon  becomes  a  bridle-path  zigzagging  up  the  cliffside.  As 
we  mounted  by  it,  the  valley  behind  expanded  magnifi- 
cently under  our  view.  We  passed  through  a  belt  of  little 
oak  trees,  the  foliage  of  which  was  purple-red,  like  the 
autumnal  coloring  of  our  own  forests.  Higher  up  we 
reached  the  pine  timber.  As  soon  as  we  reached  the  summit, 
the  lovely  valley  view  was  lost  and  we  plunged  downward, 
even  more  abruptly  than  we  had  mounted,  along  the  side 
of  a  rapidly  deepening  gorge.  At  the  very  mouth  of  this, 
on  a  pretty  terrace,  we  came  abruptly  on  the  little  town  of 
San  Lorenzo  with  palm-thatched  huts  of  brush  or  cane  and 
well  grown  hedges  of  organo  cactus.  Here  we  ate  tortillas 
and  fried-eggs  with  chili.  Immediately  on  setting  out  from 
here  we  rode  over  hills,  the  rock  of  which  was  deeply  stained 
with  rust  and  streaked  with  veins  of  quartz,  up  to  a  crest  of 
limestone  covered  with  a  crust  of  stalagmite. 

The  road  up  to  this  summit  was  not  good,  but  that  down 
the  other  side  was  bad.  The  irregular,  great  blocks  of  lime- 
stone, covered  with  the  smooth,  dry,  slippery  coating, 
caused  constant  stumbling  to  our  poor  animals.  From 
this  valley  we  rose  onto  a  yet  grander  range.  Here  we  had 
our  first  Mixe  experience.  At  the  very  summit,  where  the 
road  became  for  a  little  time  level,  before  plunging  down 
into  the  profound  valley  beyond,  we  met  two  indians, 


The  Celebration  at  Mitla 


WE  START  FOR  GUATEMALA 


plainly  Mixes.  Both  were  bareheaded,  and  both  wore 
the  usual  dirty  garments  —  a  cotton  shirt  over  a  pair  of 
cotton  trousers,  the  legs  of  which  were  rolled  up  to  the  knees 
or  higher.  The  younger  of  the  men  bore  a  double  load, 
as  he  had  relieved  his  companion.  The  old  man's  face  was 
scratched  and  torn,  his  hands  were  smeared  with  blood 
and  blood  stained  his  shirt.  We  cried  an  "adios"  and  the 
old  man  kissed  my  hand,  while  the  younger,  pointing  to  his 
friend  said  "Sangre,  Seilor,  sangre"  (Blood,  sir,  blood.) 
Vigorously  they  told  the  story  of  the  old  man's  misfortune, 
but  in  incomprehensible  Spanish.  While  they  spoke  three 
others  like  them,  each  bent  under  his  burden  came  up  onto 
the  ridge.  These  kissed  my  hand  and  then,  excitedly  point- 
ing to  the  old  man,  all  talking  at  once,  tried  to  tell  his  story. 
Having  expressed  our  sympathy,  we  left  the  five  looking 
after  us,  the  old  man,  with  his  torn  and  bleeding  face,  being 
well  in  the  foreground. 

Down  in  the  valley,  across  a  little  stream,  we  struck 
into  a  pleasant  meadow  road  leading  to  the  Hacienda  of 
San  Bartolo.  Suddenly,  before  us,  in  the  road,  we  saw  a 
man  lying.  We  thought  he  was  dead.  He  was  a  young 
man,  an  indian  in  the  usual  dress,  apparently  a  Zapotec. 
His  face  was  bloody  and  his  shirt  was  soaked  in  front  with 
blood,  which  had  trickled  down  upon  the  ground  forming 
a  pool  in  which  he  lay.  We  could  see  no  deep  wound,  but, 
as  he  lay  upon  his  side,  there  may  have  been  such.  Near 
him  in  the  road  there  lay  a  knife,  the  blade  covered  with 
blood.  The  man  lay  perfectly  still,  but  we  fancied  we  could 
see  a  slight  movement  of  the  chest.  In  Mexico,  it  is  best 
not  to  investigate  too  closely,  because  the  last  to  touch  a 
murdered  man  may  be  held  responsible  for  his  death.  So 
we  hurried  on  toward  the  hacienda  but,  before  reaching  it, 
met  two  girls  about  nineteen  years  of  age  and  a  little  lad, 
all  Zapotecs.    We  told  them  what  we  had  seen  and  bade 


20 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


them  notify  the  authorities.  One  of  the  girls  cried,  "Si, 
Senor,  es  mi  hermano"  ("Yes,  sir,  it  is  my  brother"),  and 
they  ran  down  the  road.  As  for  us,  we  hurried  onward, 
without  stopping  at  the  hacienda,  in  order  not  to  be  de- 
layed or  held  as  witnesses. 

There  is  no  love  between  the  Zapotecs  and  Mixes. 
We  never  learned  the  actual  story,  but  imagined  it  some- 
what as  follows.  The  old  Mixe,  carrying  his  burden,  had 
probably  encountered  the  young  Zapotec  and  had  words 
with  him.  Probably  there  had  been  blows,  and  the  old 
man  was  having  the  worst  of  it  when  his  companions  came 
along  and  turned  the  tide  of  battle. 

The  road,  after  passing  the  hacienda,  ascended  almost 
constantly  for  many  miles.  We  passed  clumps  of  yuccas. 
As  we  mounted  we  faced  a  strong  and  cutting  wind,  and 
were  glad  when  any  turn  in  the  road  gave  us  a  moment's 
relief.  The  final  ascent  was  sharp  and  difficult,  up  a  hill  of 
red  or  purple  slate,  which  splintered  into  bits  that  were  both 
slippery  and  sharp  to  the  feet  of  our  poor  animals.  Just 
as  the  sun  was  setting  and  dusk  fell,  we  reached  the  miser- 
able pueblo  of  Santa  Maria  Albarradas.  It  was  situated 
on  a  terrace  or  shelf,  and  its  little  houses  were  made  of  red 
or  purple  adobe  bricks,  and  thatched  with  grass.  Little 
garden  patches  and  groups  of  cultivated  trees  surrounded 
the  houses.  The  church  was  little  larger  than  the  dwellings, 
and  was  constructed  of  the  same  clay,  thatched  with  the 
same  grass.  Near  it  was  the  town-house.  We  summoned 
the  presidente,  and  while  we  waited  for  him,  the  men, 
women,  and  children  of  the  town  thronged  around  us  and 
watched  our  every  movement,  commenting  the  while  on 
our  actions  and  words.  When  the  presidente  came, 
we  made  known  our  wants  and  soon  had  supper  for  our- 
selves, food  for  our  animals,  a  shelter  for  the  night,  and  a 
mozo  as  guide  for  the  morrow.    The  town-house  was  put 


WE  START  FOR  GUATEMALA  21 

at  our  disposition ;  it  was  sadly  in  need  of  repairs,  and  con- 
sisted of  two  rooms,  one  larger  than  the  other.  In  the 
larger  room  there  was  a  long  and  heavy  table,  a  bench  or 
two,  and  some  wooden  chairs.  We  slept  upon  the  ground, 
and  long  before  we  rolled  ourselves  up  in  our  blankets  the 
wind  was  blowing  squarely  from  the  north.  The  sky  was 
half  covered  with  a  heavy  black  cloud ;  as  the  night  advanced, 
it  became  colder  and  colder,  the  wind  cutting  like  a  knife, 
and  while  we  shivered  in  our  blankets,  it  seemed  as  if  we 
had  been  born  to  freeze  there  in  the  tropics. 


r 


CHAPTER  III 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES 
(1896) 

SANTA  MARIA  was  the  last  Zapotec  town;  we  were 
on  the  border  of  the  country  of  the  Mixes.  Start- 
ing  at  seven  next  morning,  we  followed  a  dizzy  trail 
up  the  mountain  side  to  the  summit.  Beyond  that  the 
road  went  down  and  up  many  a  slope.  A  norther  was  on; 
cold  wind  swept  over  the  crest,  penetrating  and  piercing; 
cloud  masses  hung  upon  the  higher  summits;  and  now  and 
again  sheets  of  fine,  thin  mist  were  swept  down  upon  us 
by  the  wind;  this  mist  was  too  thin  to  darken  the  air,  but 
on  the  surface  of  the  driving  sheets  rainbows  floated.  The 
ridge,  which  for  a  time  we  followed,  was  covered  with  a  thick- 
et of  purple-leaved  oaks,  which  were  completely  overgrown 
with  bromelias  and  other  air-plants.  From  here,  we 
passed  into  a  mountain  country  that  beggars  description. 
I  know  and  love  the  Carolina  mountains  —  their  graceful 
forms,  their  sparkling  streams  and  springs,  the  lovely 
sky  stretched  above  them;  but  the  millionaires  are  wel- 
come to  their  "land  of  the  sky";  we  have  our  land  of  the 
Mixes,  and  to  it  they  will  never  come.  The  mountains 
here  are  like  those  of  Carolina,  but  far  grander  and  bolder; 
here  the  sky  is  more  amply  extended.  There,  the  slopes 
are  clad  with  rhododendrons  and  azaleas,  with  the  flower- 
ing shrub,  with  strawberries  gleaming  amid  grass;  here 
we  have  rhododendrons  also,  in  clusters  that  scent  the  air 
with  the  odor  of  cloves,  and  display  sheets  of  pink  and 

purple  bloom;  here  we  have  magnificent  tree-ferns,  with 

22 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES 


2? 


trunks  that  rise  twenty  feet  into  the  air  and  unroll  from 
their  summits  fronds  ten  feet  in  length;  fifty  kinds  of  deli 
cate  terrestrial  ferns  display  themselves  in  a  single  morning 
ride;  here  are  palms  with  graceful  foliage;  here  are  or- 
chids stretching  forth  sprays  —  three  or  four  feet  long  — 
toward  the  hand  for  plucking;  here  are  pine-trees  cover 
ing  slopes  with  fragrant  fallen  needles.  A  striking  fea- 
ture is  the  different  flora  on  the  different  slopes  of  a  single 
ridge.  Here,  too,  are  bubbling  springs,  purling  brooks, 
dashing  cascades,  the  equals  of  any  in  the  world.  And 
hither  the  tourist,  with  his  destroying  touch,  will  never 
come. 

We  had  thought  to  find  our  wild  Mixes  living  in  mis- 
erable  huts  among  the  rocks,  dressed  in  scanty  native 
garb,  leading  half  wild  lives.  We  found  good  clearings 
on  the  hillside;  fair  fields  of  maize  and  peas,  gourds  and 
calabashes;  cattle  grazed  in  the  meadows;  fowls  and 
turkeys  were  kept;  the  homes  were  log-houses,  substan- 
tially built,  in  good  condition,  in  neat  enclosures;  men  and 
women,  the  latter  in  European  dress,  were  busied  with  the 
duties  of  their  little  farms.  Clearing  after  clearing  in  the 
forest  told  the  same  story  of  industry,  thrift,  and  moderate 
comfort. 

After  more  than  five  hours  of  hard  travel  we  reached  the 
Mixe  town  of  Ayutla,  and  rode  at  once  to  the  curato.  The 
priest  was  not  at  home.  It  was  market-day,  and  people 
were  in  town  from  all  the  country  round.  The  men,  sur- 
prised at  sight  of  strangers,  crowded  about  us;  some  gazed 
at  us  with  angry  glances,  others  eyed  us  with  dark  suspicion, 
some  examined  us  with  curious  and  even  friendly  interest. 
Many  of  them  spoke  little  or  no  Spanish.  Thronging  about 
us  they  felt  our  clothing,  touched  our  skins,  saddles,  bag- 
gage, and  exhibited  childish  curiosity.  The  women  at  the 
curato  spoke  Spanish,  of  course;  we  told  them  we  should 


24 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


stay  there  for  a  day  or  two,  and  sent  out  for  the  presidente. 
On  his  coming,  we  explained  to  him  our  business  and  asked 
leave  to  occupy  the  cur  at  o  in  the  absence  of  the  priest. 

Ayutla  is  situated  on  a  high  terrace,  before  which  opens 
a  lovely  valley  and  behind  which  rises  a  fine  mountain  slope. 
The  village  church,  while  large,  is  roofless;  the  town-house 
lies  below  the  village,  and  by  it  are  two  jails  for  men  and 
women.  The  houses  of  the  village  are  small,  rectangular 
structures  of  a  red- brown -ochre  adobe  brick;  the  roofs  slope 
from  in  front  backward,  and  are  covered  with  red  tiles  — 
they  project  in  front  so  as  to  cover  a  little  space  before  the 
house. 

By  evening  most  of  the  indians  in  the  town  were  drunk. 
At  sunset  a  miserable  procession  started  from  the  church, 
passed  through  the  village,  and  then  returned  to  the  church ; 
composed  mostly  of  women,  it  was  preceded  by  a  band  of 
music  and  the  men  who  carried  the  santito.  Later,  we  heard 
most  disconsolate  strains,  and,  on  examination,  found  four 
musicians  playing  in  front  of  the  old  church;  three  of  them 
had  curious,  extremely  long,  old-fashioned  horns  of  brass, 
while  the  fourth  had  a  drum  or  tambour.  The  tambour  was 
continuously  played,  while  the  other  instruments  were  alter- 
nated in  the  most  curious  fashion.  The  music  was  strange 
and  wierd,  unlike  any  that  we  had  ever  heard  before.  How- 
ever, we  became  thoroughly  familiar  with  it  before  we 
had  traversed  the  whole  Mixe  country,  as  we  heard  it  twice 
daily,  at  sunrise  and  after  sunset.  It  was  the  music  of  the 
Candelaria,  played  during  the  nine  days  preceding  Feb- 
ruary 2d.  As  we  sat  listening  to  the  music  the  presidente 
of  the  town  appeared.  His  Spanish,  at  no  time  adequate, 
was  now  at  its  worst,  as  he  was  sadly  intoxicated.  We 
tried  to  carry  on  a  conversation  with  him,  but  soon  seeing 
that  naught  but  disaster  could  be  expected,  if  we  continued, 
we  discreetly  withdrew  to  our  room. 


Ayutla 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES 


There  we  found  the  -fiscal,  and  I  have  rarely  seen  so 
drunk  an  official.  When  drunk,  he  is  violent  and  abusive, 
and  it  was  plain  that  the  women  at  the  curato  were  afraid 
of  him.  More  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  Padre 
Quintana,  who  was  the  mission  priest  at  Juquila,  translated 
the  Doctrina  into  Mixe  and  wrote  a  Gramatica  of  the  lan 
guage,  both  of  which  were  then  printed.  We  wished  to 
secure  copies  of  these  old  and  rare  books,  and  asked  the 
fiscal  if  there  were  any  here.  He  promptly  replied  that  he 
had  one  at  his  house,  and  invited  us  to  go  there  with  him 
to  see  it.  We  at  once  started,  and  on  our  way  had  to  pass 
the  drunken  presidente  and  the  musicians.  As  we  drew 
near  them  the  presidente,  with  drunken  dignity,  rose  and 
said :  "Where  are  you  going,  Senores ?  "  The  fiscal  was  for 
going  directly  onward  without  giving  answer;  we  hesitated 
and  began  a  reply.  Our  delay  was  fatal;  staggering  up  to 
us,  his  Honor  said:  "I  shall  not  permit  you  to  go;  this  man 
is  drunk;  he  will  be  dangerous.  I  am  responsible  for  your 
safety."  The  fiscal,  standing  at  a  little  distance,  cried: 
"Senores!  shall  we  go?"  We  started  toward  him;  the 
presidente  interfered:  "No,  Senores,  you  shall  not  go 
to-night;  the  man  is  drunk;  return  to  your  house."  "Va- 
monos"  (Let  us  go)  hiccoughed  the  fiscal.  "  Manana,1' 
(to-morrow)  hiccoughed  the  presidente.  The  fiscal 
stormed;  the  presidente  threatened  him  with  jail,  ordered 
him  home,  and  with  a  body-guard  for  our  protection  led 
us  to  our  room.  Scarcely  able  to  totter,  the  presidente 
assured  us  that  drunken  men  were  dangerous  and  ought 
not  to  be  trusted ;  at  the  same  time  he  produced  his  bottle 
and  offered  us  a  drop  to  warm  us.  It  required  tact  and  time 
to  get  rid  of  him  and  his  corps  of  protectors.  Early  the 
next  morning  both  of  these  worthy  officials,  presidente  and 
fiscal,  still  drunk,  called  upon  us  with  the  book  —  a  Doc- 
trina of  1729.    With  the  presidente  were  two  stalwart  fel- 


26 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


lows,  intended,  as  he  whispered  to  us  audibly,  to  handle 
the  fiscal  in  case  he  became  dangerous.  The  audience 
ended,  and  the  party  dismissed,  the  presidente  stood  in  the 
road  until  the  fiscal  had  started  for  home,  when  he  left 
for  the  town-house.  The  fiscal' s  home-going,  however, 
was  mere  pretense.  No  sooner  was  the  presidente  gone 
than  he  came  staggering  into  the  patio  of  the  curato.  The 
women  ran  into  our  room,  in  terror:  "The  fiscal  comes; 
bar  the  door;  do  not  let  him  in."  A  moment  later  a  feeble 
rap  at  the  door,  a  call  and  a  mournful  request  for  admission ; 
the  barricaded  door  gave  no  encouragement.  At  intervals 
through  the  morning  there  came  the  flying  maids:  "He 
comes!  don't  let  him  in."  Again  and  again  the  barricade; 
again  and  again,  the  vain  appeal  for  entrance.  We  left 
Ayutla  at  noon.  We  had  scarcely  well  started  when  we 
heard  some  one  calling  behind  us.  Turning,  we  saw  the 
fiscal,  running  unsteadily  toward  us.  We  waited ;  he  came 
up  out  of  breath.  uYa  se  va?  99  (Now  you  are  leaving?) 
"Si,  seflor,"  (Yes,  sir.)  With  a  look  of  despair  he  removed 
his  hat,  and  fumbling  in  its  depths  produced  two  cigarettes; 
presenting  one  to  each  of  us,  he  waved  his  hand  as  we  rode 
away  and  cried :  "  A  diosl  senores. 9  9 

For  some  distance  our  road  led  up  a  canon.  Reaching 
its  head,  we  gained  the  pass  at  two  o'clock.  A  wonderful 
sight  here  presented  itself.  Above  us  was  a  brilliant  blue  sky 
—  cloudless ;  every  detail  of  the  rock  crest  upon  which 
we  stood  was  clear.  Forested  to  its  summit,  the  ridge 
formed  the  half  of  a  magnificent  amphitheatre,  whose  slopes 
had  been  vertically  furrowed  at  a  hundred  points  by  tor- 
rents; to  the  left  a  spur  projected,  the  crest  of  which  sloped 
gently  downward,  forming  an  enclosing  wall  upon  that  side. 
Before  us,  beyond  the  valley,  was  a  boundary  line  of  moun- 
tain masses,  sharply  outlined  against  the  sky.  Lower 
ridges,  nearer  to  us,  paralleled  this  distant  rampart.  The 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES 


27 


only  apparent  outlet  from  this  valley  was  around  the  spur  to 
our  left.  Looking  down  upon  this  magnificent  valley,  we 
saw  it  occupied  by  a  sea  of  clouds,  the  level  surface  of  which 
looked  like  a  lake  of  water  flecked  here  and  there  with  white- 
caps.  The  higher  hills  within  the  valley  rose  like  islands 
from  the  water;  to  the  left  a  mighty  river  seemed  to  flow 
around  the  spur,  out  into  a  boundless  sea  of  cloud  beyond. 
The  level  surface  of  this  lake,  river,  and  sea  of  clouds  was 
hundreds  of  feet  below  us. 

From  this  summit,  our  trail  plunged  downward  into  this 
sea  of  mists.  When  we  reached  its  upper  surface,  which 
was  plainly  defined,  little  wisps  of  mist  or  cloud  were 
streaming  up  along  the  furrowed  channels  of  the  mountain 
walls.  As  we  entered  the  lake  of  cloud  the  sunlight  became 
fainter,  uprushes  of  cold  mists  struck  us,  gloom  settled, 
denser  and  denser  grew  the  fog,  drops  of  condensed  vapor 
dripped  from  the  trees  under  which  we  passed.  At  the 
bottom  of  the  valley,  we  could  scarcely  see  a  dozen  yards 
in  any  direction.  We  were  passing  along  meadows,  like 
those  of  New  England,  with  brakes,  sunflowers,  and  huckle- 
berries; here  and  there  were  little  fields  of  wheat  or  peas. 
The  fog  was  too  dense  for  us  to  know  whether  we  lost  fine 
scenery.  We  saw  nothing  of  the  little  villages  through 
which  we  passed.  On  and  on  we  plunged  along  the  trail, 
until  it  began  an  ascent  of  a  ridge,  almost  like  a  knife-edge, 
with  steep  slopes  on  both  sides.  When  we  had  reached  the 
summit  of  this  ridge,  we  found  the  trail  level,  through  a 
growth  of  oak  trees  which  were  loaded  with  bromelias  and 
orchids.  Though  still  dim,  the  light  had  brightened  as  we 
rose  to  higher  levels.  Graceful  ferns  and  sprays  of  terres- 
trial orchids  overhung  our  trail  at  every  cutting  or  slope. 
One  spray,  which  I  plucked  as  I  rode  under  it,  was  more 
than  a  yard  in  length,  and  its  curiously  colored  brown  and 
yellow  flowers  were  strangely  like  insects  in  form.  At 


28 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


one  level  summit  of  our  ridge,  we  came  upon  a  little  white- 
washed building  of  adobe,  dome-topped,  with  no  windows 
and  but  one  little  door.  Pushing  this  open,  I  entered 
through  a  doorway  so  narrow  that  I  had  to  remove  my  hat, 
and  so  low  that  I  was  forced  to  bend,  and  found  myself  in 
a  little  shrine  with  a  cross  and  pictures  of  two  or  three  saints, 
before  which  were  plain  vases  filled  with  fresh  flowers,  the 
offerings  of  travelers.  We  added  our  spray  of  orchids 
before  we  resumed  our  journey. 

For  three  hours,  during  which  no  distant  view  had  de- 
lighted our  eyes,  wre  had  traveled  in  the  mists;  we  had 
almost  forgotten  that  the  sun  could  shine.  At  the  end  of  a 
long,  narrow  ridge,  where  it  joined  the  greater  mountain 
mass,  we  found  a  rest-house.  Here  the  trail  turned  ab- 
ruptly onto  the  larger  ridge,  mounted  sharply  through  a 
dugway,  and  then  to  our  complete  surprise  emerged  into 
the  fair  sunlight.  The  clear,  blue  sky  was  over  us,  and 
directly  below  us,  at  our  horses'  feet,  was  the  flat  top  of  the 
sea  of  clouds.  A  moment  more  and  we  rose  to  a  point  of 
view  from  which  the  grandest  view  of  a  lifetime  burst  upon 
our  vision.  Opposite,  the  evening  sun  was  nearing  the 
horizon,  before  and  below  us  lay  the  valley;  we  were  upon 
the  very  edge  of  a  great  mountain  slope.  To  our  right  lay 
the  cloud  mass,  which  was  all  in  movement,  precipitating 
itself  down  the  slope  into  the  profound  valley.  It  was  a 
river  of  vapors,  more  than  two  miles,  perhaps,  in  width, 
plunging,  perhaps,  two  thousand  feet  into  the  abyss. 
Niagara,  which  I  have  often  seen,  is  a  pigmy  cataract  in 
comparison.  The  cloud  mass  tossed  and  heaved,  whirled 
and  poured  in  one  enormous  sheet  over  the  precipice,  break- 
ing into  spray  as  it  struck  against  projecting  rock  masses. 
Every  movement  of  whirling  and  plunging  water  was  there ; 
the  rapid  above  the  fall,  the  plunge,  the  whirlpool,  the  wild 
rush  of  whirlpool  rapids,  all  were  there,  but  all  silent,  fear 


Dancers  in  the  Danza  de  la  Conquista;  Juquila 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES 


fully  and  impressively  silent.  We  could  have  stood  there 
gazing  for  hours,  but  night  was  coming  and  a  stretch  of 
unknown  road  still  lay  before  us.  At  the  other  end  of  the 
valley,  in  the  dusk  of  early  evening,  we  saw  a  second  catar- 
act pouring  in.  From  both  ends  the  cloud  rivers  were  rush- 
ing in  to  fill  the  valley,  along  the  edge  of  which  we  crept. 
And  presently  we  plunged  down  again  into  the  mists; 
night  fell;  our  trail  was  barely  visible,  and  we  had  to  trust 
to  our  horses  to  find  it;  the  air  was  cold  and  penetrating. 
Long  after  dark,  we  rode  into  Juquila. 

The  cur  a  had  gone  to  bed;  the  meson  had  no  room  for 
us  and  no  food  for  our  horses;  our  case  seemed  desperate. 
We  heard,  however,  noisy  laughter  and  the  loud  voices  of 
men  drinking.  So  I  begged  Ernst  to  seek  the  presidente 
and  tell  him  our  needs  while  I  looked  after  the  animals. 
The  official  was  at  the  tienda,  drinking  with  his  friends. 
Ernst  made  known  our  wishes,  producing  our  letter  from 
the  governor.  At  this,  the  presidente  became  furious: 
"Who  is  this  with  orders  from  the  governor?  Let  me  kill 
him,"  and  with  that  he  drew  his  machete  and  made  at 
Ernst.  Some  of  his  less-intoxicated  friends  restrained  him, 
and  Ernst,  concluding  that  the  moment  was  not  propitious, 
returned  to  me.  After  other  fruitless  efforts  to  get  food 
for  ourselves  and  animals  we  resigned  ourselves  to  our  fate, 
and  lay  down  upon  the  stone  floor  of  the  corridor  outside  the 
meson,  with  a  crowd  of  sleeping  indians  as  companions. 

Very  early  in  the  morning,  all  the  town  officials,  except 
the  presidente,  came  to  apologize  for  the  occurrence  of  the 
night.  They  announced  that  the  presidente,  realizing 
what  he  had  done,  had  taken  to  the  mountains,  and  asked 
what  they  could  do  for  us.  We  ordered  fodder  for  our  hun- 
gry beasts,  food  for  ourselves,  and  a  place  of  shelter.  The 
town-house  was  offered  to  us,  and  we  were  moved  into 
those  quarters  with  due  ceremony. 


3° 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Although  we  stayed  several  days  at  Juquila,  the  presi- 
dente  did  not  return,  during  our  presence,  to  resume  his 
duties  of  office.  We  were,  however,  well  treated.  The 
cura  aided  us  with  advice,  information,  and  helpers. 
While  we  were  in  the  village  the  danza  de  la  Conquista  took 
place.  It  is  a  popular  play,  with  much  dancing  and  music, 
and  little  action  or  dialogue,  which  celebrates  the  Con- 
quest of  Mexico  by  Cortez.  It  was  rendered  in  the  shade 
of  a  great  tree  near  the  church.  In  the  first  act,  nine  men 
and  two  girls  took  part;  in  the  second  act,  there  were  many 
others.  The  nine  men  and  two  girls  represented  indians; 
they  wore  crowns  with  plumes  of  snow-white  down;  in 
their  hands  they  carried  a  rattle,  made  from  the  fruit  of  a 
tree  and  a  wand  of  white  down,  with  which  they  beat  time. 
One  man,  representing  Montezuma,  had  a  crown  of  bril- 
liantly colored  plumes.  The  other  eight  men  were  war- 
riors; the  two  girls  were  "  Malinches"  The  first  act  con- 
sisted of  a  series  of  dances,  including  a  very  pretty  maypole 
dance.  The  play  lasted  about  three  hours,  and  represented 
the  life  of  the  indians  before  the  Conquest  —  Montezuma  in 
his  court,  with  the  amusements  celebrated  for  his  enter- 
tainment. Hearing  of  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards,  he  is 
filled  with  sad  forebodings,  which  the  amusements  fail  to 
dispel.  In  the  second  act,  Hernando  Cortes  appears,  with 
soldiers.  While  the  costumes  of  the  indians  were  gay,  and 
more  or  less  attractive,  those  of  these  European  warriors 
were  ludicruously  mongrel  and  unbecoming.  The  new- 
comers demanded  that  Montezuma  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  King  of  Spain  and  the  cross  of  Christ. 
Conversations,  demands,  replies,  tableaus,  sword-dances, 
etc.,  ensued.  Finally,  Montezuma  and  his  warriors  yielded, 
and  kissed  the  crucifix. 

While  this  drama  was  being  enacted  under  the  shade- 
tree,  another  amusement,  in  connection  with  the  fiesta  oj 


< 
w 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES 


San  Marcos,  was  in  progress  in  front  of  the  church.  The 
musicians  with  the  long  horns  made  doleful  music ;  a  dozen 
gayly- costumed  dancers  took  part.  They  wore  dark 
trousers  slitted  up  the  sides;  bright  kerchiefs,  with  the 
point  hanging  down  in  front,  were  tied  about  the  waists; 
crowns  of  plumes  were  on  the  heads;  red  vests  and  ker- 
chiefs, crossed  at  the  neck,  completed  the  costume.  One 
player,  who  seemed  to  be  a  leader,  carried  a  tri-colored 
flag;  another  represented  a  man  on  horseback,  by  creeping 
into  a  frame  of  sticks,  covered  with  cloth,  in  the  shape  of 
a  horse.  They  danced  in  the  full  sunlight  for  hours; 
their  movements  were  varied  and  pretty,  quite  different, 
too,  from  the  figures  in  the  danza  de  la  Conquista.  Two 
outside  characters  played  the  clown.  One  of  these  was 
a  little  lad  dressed  in  a  garment  representing  a  tiger-skin, 
while  over  his  face  he  wore  a  heavy,  old  wooden  mask, 
imitating  an  animal's  head.  The  other  was  older,  dressed 
in  a  leather  suit,  with  a  wooden  mask  like  a  vacant-looking 
human  face.  These  two  were  very  popular,  and  indulged 
in  many  acts  that  bordered  on  the  obscene.  We  got  no 
satisfactory  explanation  of  this  whole  performance.  The 
cura  said  that  it  represented  the  conflict  between  Christ 
and  the  Jews;  this  we  greatly  doubted. 

Mixe  roads  avoid  no  mountains,  and  usually  go  straight 
up  one  slope  and  down  the  other.  The  Mixe  villages  are 
set  upon  the  very  crests,  or  upon  little  terraces  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  below  the  crest,  or  the  summit  of  some  spur  that 
juts  out  from  the  great  mountain  mass,  of  a  long  and  nar- 
row ridge.  The  road  from  Juquila,  by  Ocotepec  to  Que- 
zaltepec  was  beautiful  and  typical.  The  ascent,  just  before 
Quezaltepec,  was  magnificent.  We  had  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction from  the  cura  at  Juquila  to  the  schoolteacher  at 
Quezaltepec,  and  therefore  rode  directly  to  the  school. 
The  four  boys  who  were  in  attendance  were  promptly  dis- 


3  2 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


missed  and  the  maestro  was  at  our  disposition.  He  was  a 
mestizo,  and  possessed  the  art  of  lying  in  a  fine  degree,  like 
so  many  of  his  kind.  This  man  set  us  an  excellent  supper, 
having  asked  us  beforehand  what  we  would  like.  We 
replied  that  we  would  be  glad  to  have  fresh  meat,  if  there 
was  any  to  be  had.  He  replied,  "  There  is  always  fresh 
meat  here;  someone  kills  every  day."  It  really  appeared 
in  the  dinner,  but,  as  we  ate  it,  our  host  remarked  —  "  Gen- 
tlemen, it  is  indeed  lucky  that  you  arrived  here  just  now, 
because  to-night  we  have  fresh  meat,  and  like  enough  a 
month  will  pass  before  anyone  in  town  kills  again."  Our 
teacher  friend  fully  appreciated  his  opportunity,  and  we 
paid  a  large  price  for  our  meal,  with  its  fresh  meat,  our  beds 
on  the  school  benches,  and  the  fodder  supplied  our  horses. 
The  next  day  being  Saturday,  the  maestro  offered  to  accom- 
pany us  to  Ixcuintepec,  where  his  half-brother,  the  local 
teacher,  would  welcome  our  coming  and  arrange  for  our 
entertainment. 

Passing  Camotlan,  we  entered  a  magnificent  gorge, 
along  one  side  of  which  we  climbed,  passing  in  front  of 
lovely  cascades  and  having  magnificent  outlooks.  While 
we  were  on  this  trail,  we  encountered  the  maestro  from 
Ixcuintepec,  who  was  on  his  way  to  Quezaltepec  to  spend 
his  holiday.  A  whispered  word  with  his  half-brother, 
our  companion,  quickly  changed  his  plan,  and  he  accom- 
panied us.  Upon  this  trail  we  found  our  first  swinging 
foot-bridges  made  of  lianas,  or  vines,  hanging  from 
trees.  These  are,  of  course,  only  suitable  for  foot-trav- 
ellers, but  are  a  great  convenience,  where  streams  are  likely 
to  be  swollen.  Two  or  three  long  and  slender  vines,  laid 
side  by  side  and  lashed  together,  form  the  footway,  which 
is  swung  from  one  tree  to  another;  other  lianas  are  stretched 
across  as  side  rails,  smaller  vines  being  twined  in  between 
and  around  them  to  hold  them  in  place;  long  vines,  pend- 


o 
w 
fc 
w 

H 

<; 

N 

w 
P 
0» 

< 
w 
IS 


< 

N 

w 
p 

3 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES 


ant  from  the  high  branches  of  the  supporting  trees,  are  fas- 
tened to  the  upper  rails  to  steady  and  anchor  these  frail 
bridges,  which  swing  and  yield  with  every  weight. 

Ixcuintepec  is  upon  one  of  the  most  abrupt  ridges  of 
this  whole  district.  We  went  first  to  the  schoolhouse,  where 
our  animals  were  to  be  guarded  in  a  little  open  space  before 
it;  then  we  walked  over  to  the  curato  which  was  being 
prepared  for  us.  We  had  ordered  zacate  (fodder)  for  our 
animals  and  had  divided  it  suitably  between  them.  We 
ate  our  own  meal,  took  a  turn  around  the  town,  and  were 
about  to  go  to  our  quarters  for  the  night,  when  Ernst  no- 
ticed that  the  fodder,  for  which  we  had  paid  an  outrageous 
price,  had  completely  disappeared  from  before  the  two 
horses,  although  the  pile  before  the  mule  had  diminished 
but  little.  No  doubt  the  two  school  teachers  could  have 
explained  this  mysterious  disappearance;  we  could  not, 
however,  tax  them  with  theft,  but  we  made  so  much  fuss 
over  the  matter  that  the  officials  brought  a  new  supply. 
While  I  went  to  our  room  to  write  up  my  notes,  Ernst  sat 
in  the  gathering  darkness  watching  the  animals,  as  they  ate, 
to  prevent  further  robbery.  I  was  busily  writing,  listening 
now  and  then  to  the  fierce  gusts  of  a  gale  that  was  blowing 
without,  when  the  door  burst  open  and  Ernst,  greatly  ex- 
cited, called  me  to  follow,  and  we  hastened  to  the  place 
where  our  animals  were  tied.  There  we  found  that  the 
great  tree  under  which  Chontal,  the  little  mule,  had  been 
feeding,  had  been  torn  by  the  tempest  and  half  of  it  had 
fallen  upon  the  animal,  bearing  it  to  the  ground.  The 
crash  had  come  without  a  moment's  warning.  Fortunately, 
the  mule  was  unhurt,  though  it  could  not  move  until  the 
branches  which  had  crushed  it  to  the  earth  had  been  cut 
away  with  axes.  When  we  had  released  the  beast  and  were 
retiring  to  our  quarters,  we  saw  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten. 
Looking  down  from  our  crest  into  the  valley  and  across  upon 


34 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  other  ridges  and  mountains  beyond,  we  saw  that  the 
camp-fires  of  charcoal-burners  and  wayfarers  had  been 
fanned  by  the  winds  and  spread  into  the  forest  until  a 
dozen  great  lines  of  blazing  trees  lit  up  the  landscape  in 
every  direction. 

Our  leaving  Ixcuintepec  in  the  early  morning  was  not 
agreeable.  The  teachers  were  irritated  over  the  affair  of 
the  zacate;  the  town  authorities  were  dissatisfied  with  our 
refusal  to  pay  for  two  lots  of  it.  There  was  grumbling,  and 
many  dark  looks  followed  us.  We  were  rather  glad  to  get 
away  from  the  town  without  a  serious  outbreak.  We  were 
now  on  the  road  to  the  last  of  the  Mixe  towns  we  should 
visit,  Coatlan.  The  road  seemed  endless,  the  ascent  inter- 
minable; the  town  itself  impressed  us  as  exceptionally 
mean  and  squalid,  and  we  stopped  only  long  enough  to  eat 
a  miserable  dinner  of  eggs  with  chili  and  tortillas.  The 
women  here  wore  native  dress.  Several  were  clad  as  the 
Zapotec  women  from  here  to  Tehuantepec,  but  a  few  were 
dressed  in  striking  huipilis  of  native  weaving,  with  em- 
broidered patterns,  and  had  their  black  hair  done  up  in 
great  rings  around  their  heads,  bright  strips  of  cloth  or 
ribbon  being  intermingled  in  the  braiding.  Literally  and 
figuratively  shaking  the  dust  of  the  Mixe  towns  from  our 
feet,  we  now  descended  into  the  Zapotec  country.  We  were 
oppressed  by  a  cramped,  smothered  feeling  as  we  descended 
from  the  land  of  forested  mountains  and  beautiful  streams. 
At  evening  we  reached  San  Miguel,  the  first  Zapotec  settle- 
ment, a  little  group  of  houses  amid  coffee  plantings. 

At  the  first  indian  house,  we  asked  if  we  might  have 
shelter  for  the  night.  The  owner  cordially  answered, 
"Corno  no?  senores"  (Why  not?  sirs).  He  explained, 
however,  that  there  was  nought  to  eat.  After  eating  else- 
where, we  made  our  way  back  to  our  lodging-place,  a  typical 
Zapotec  hut,  a  single  room,  with  dirt-floor,  walls  of  canes  or 


■-/Jit .  JOt?* 

Bridge  of  Vines,  Near  Ixcuintepec 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES 


poles,  and  thatch  of  grass.  The  house  contained  a  ham- 
mock and  two  beds  of  poles,  comforts  we  had  not  known, 
for  days.  I  threw  myself  into  the  hammock;  Ernst  lay 
down  upon  one  of  the  beds;  the  man  and  woman,  squatting, 
were  husking  corn  for  our  horses;  a  little  girl  was  feeding 
a  fire  of  pine  splints,  built  upon  the  floor,  which  served  for 
light.  As  they  worked  and  we  rested  the  man  asked  that 
question  which  ever  seems  of  supreme  importance  to  Mexi- 
can indians,  "Corno  se  llama  Ud.  senor?"  (What  is  your 
name,  sir  ?).  "  Ernst, "  replied  our  spokesman,  to  whom  the 
question  was  addressed.  "Y  el  otro?"  (And  the  other?), 
pointing  to  me.  I  replied  for  myself,  "Federico."  The 
man  seemed  not  to  catch  the  word  and  badly  repeated  it 
after  me.  "No,  no"  said  the  much  quicker  woman, 
"Federico!  Federico!  si,  senor,  nosotros  tenemos  un  Feder- 
ico, tambien,"  (Yes,  sir,  and  we  have  a  Frederick,  also). 
"Ah,  and  where  is  he?"  "He  will  come,  sir;  we  have 
four  boys,  Luca  and  Pedrito,  Castolo  and  Federico;  Fed- 
erico is  the  baby;  the  little  girl,  here,  is  between  him  and 
Castolo;  they  are  working  in  the  coffee-field,  but  they  will 
soon  be  here."  At  nine  o'clock  the  little  fellows  appeared. 
They  lined  up  in  the  order  of  age,  placed  their  hands  behind 
them,  and  waited  to  be  addressed.  Castolo,  then  about 
ten  years  of  age,  most  pleased  me,  and  I  asked  him,  among 
other  things,  whether  he  could  read  and  write.  His  father 
answered  for  him,  that  he  could  not  read  or  write;  that 
the  opportunities  were  not  good;  but  that  he  believed  Cas- 
tolo could  learn,  that  he  had  a  good  mind.  At  this  point 
the  mother  spoke  to  her  husband  in  Zapotec.  Some  argu- 
ment ensued,  in  which  at  last  she  triumphed.  Turning 
to  me,  the  man  said:  "She  says  you  may  have  Castolo; 
you  may  take  him  to  your  country  and  there  he  can  learn 
to  read  and  write  and  whatever  else  you  wish."  It  was  not 
altogether  easy  to  refuse  this  gift;  finally  I  replied  that  we 


36 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


had  a  long  journey  ahead  and  that  Castolo  would  weary 
on  the  road;  that  he  had  better  wait  until  some  later  time. 

It  was  now  time  for  the  family  to  dispose  of  itself  for  the 
night.  I  was  already  in  the  hammock  and  Ernst  had  one 
of  the  pole-beds;  the  man,  his  wife,  and  little  Federico 
occupied  the  other  bed;  the  little  girl  and  the  three  older 
boys  climbed,  by  a  notched  log,  up  to  a  loft  constructed  of 
poles  or  canes  on  which  they  laid  themselves  down.  After 
all  were  located,  the  woman  barred  the  door  and  we  were 
soon  asleep. 

All  rose  early.  Not  only  did  we  wish  to  make  an  early 
start,  but  the  boys,  too,  were  to  make  a  journey.  Our 
friends  had  agreed  to  make  us  some  coffee  and  tortillas. 
We  had  made  our  preparations  for  starting  and  were  waiting 
for  our  breakfast,  when  a  shriveled  and  wrinkled  old  woman 
tottered  up  to  beg  the  strangers  to  visit  her  sick  son  and 
prescribe  some  remedio.  On  our  consenting  to  go  with  her, 
she  caught  up  a  stick  of  fat  pine,  lighted  it  in  the  fire,  and 
with  this  blazing  torch  to  light  the  way,  preceded  us  to  her 
house.  Her  son  had  been  a  strong  and  robust  young  man, 
but  four  months  of  lying  upon  his  pole- bed  had  sadly  reduced 
him.  He  was  thin  and  pale,  coughed  sadly,  and  suffered 
with  fever,  chills,  and  dreadful  headaches.  He  was  taking 
medicines  brought  from  Tehuantepec,  but  these  seemed  to 
have  no  effect  and  we  were  begged  to  suggest  treatment. 
We  advised  continuance  of  the  remedy  she  had  been  using, 
but  also  prescribed  hot  water  taken  in  the  morning  and  at 
night,  hot  water  applications  for  the  headaches,  quinine 
for  the  chills  and  fever,  and  a  digestive  for  the  stomach 
trouble,  and  furnished  these  remedies  from  our  own  sup- 
plies. Having  lighted  us  back  to  our  lodging-place  the  old 
lady  asked  our  charge.  When  we  refused  to  receive  pay- 
ment from  the  poor  creature,  we  noted  an  increased 
activity  on  the  part  of  our  host  and  hostess;  a  bit  of  cheese 


THE  LAND  OF  THE  MIXES  37 


was  promptly  found  and  added  to  the  waiting  coffee  and 
tortillas,  and  when  we  called  for  our  own  reckoning,  we 
received  the  hearty  response  — "  Nada,  senor,  nada;" 
(nothing,  sir,  nothing)  "and  when  you  come  this  way  again, 
come  straight  to  us,  our  door  is  always  open  to  you." 

We  were  now  ready  and  found  that  the  three  boys, 
Luca,  Pedrito,  and  Castolo,  were  waiting  to  accompany  us 
as  far  as  our  roads  were  the  same.  They  were  to  go  on 
foot,  five  leagues,  into  the  mountains  to  bring  back  some 
mules  from  a  camp;  they  expected  to  reach  their  destina- 
tion that  day,  to  sleep  on  the  mountain,  and  to  bring  in  the 
animals  the  next  day.  The  little  fellows,  from  thirteen  to 
nine  or  ten  years  old,  seemed  to  find  nothing  extraordinary 
in  their  undertaking;  each  carried  his  little  carrying-net, 
with  food,  drinking-gourd,  and  an  extra  garment  for  the 
chilly  night,  upon  his  back;  Pedrito  buckled  to  his  belt 
the  great  machete,  which  men  here  regularly  carry  for 
clearing  the  path,  cutting  firewood,  or  protection  against 
animals.  They  were  very  happy  at  accompanying  us  for 
a  distance.  We  soon  rose  from  the  low,  malarial,  coffee 
fincas  onto  a  fine  mountain,  which  was  the  last  of  its  kind 
that  we  saw  for  many  days;  it  was  like  the  mountains  of 
the  Mixes,  with  its  abundant  vegetation  of  ferns,  begonias, 
and  trees  loaded  with  bromelias  and  orchids.  Our  body- 
guard kept  up  with  us  bravely  until  we  had  made  one-half 
of  the  ascent,  where  they  fell  behind  and  we  saw  them  no 
more.  Reaching  the  summit,  we  saw  before  us  a  distant 
line  of  blue,  interrupted  here  and  there  by  some  hill  or 
mountain, —  the  great  Pacific.  From  here  on,  the  beauty 
of  the  road  disappeared.  We  descended  and  then  mounted 
along  dry  slopes  to  Santiago  Guevea,  then  hot  and  dusty. 
Our  friends  of  San  Miguel  really  live  in  Guevea  and  are  at 
San  Miguel  only  when  the  coffee  needs  attention.  From 
Guevea  the  road  was  hard  and  dry  and  dusty  to  Santa 


38 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Maria.  The  mountain  mass  over  which  we  passed  was 
a  peak,  the  summit  of  which  was  covered  with  masses  of 
chalcedony  of  brilliant  colors,  which  broke  into  innumer- 
able splinters,  which  were  lovely  to  see  but  hard  upon  the 
feet  of  horses;  the  surface  of  this  part  also  gave  out  a  glare 
or  reflection  that  was  almost  intolerable.  We  descended 
over  granite  which  presented  typical  spheroidal  weathering. 
We  went  onward,  up  and  down  many  little  hills,  reaching 
Santa  Maria  at  noonday.  The  village  sweltered;  the  air 
scorched  and  blistered ;  there  was  no  sign  of  life,  save  a  few 
naked  children  playing  in  the  shade  or  rolling  upon  the  hot 
sand.  It  was  so  hot  and  dusty  that  we  hated  to  resume  our 
journey  and  tarried  so  long  that  we  had  to  ride  after  night- 
fall before  we  reached  the  rancho  of  Los  Cocos,  where  we 
lay  in  the  corridor  and  all  night  long  heard  the  grinding  of 
sugar-cane  at  the  mill  close  by. 

We  had  just  such  another  hard,  hot,  and  dusty  ride  the 
next  day,  on  through  Auyuga  and  Tlacotepec,  where  we 
stopped  for  noon,  until  Tehuantepec,  where  we  arrived  at 
evening. 


CHAPTER  IV 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 
(1896) 

HPEHUANTEPEC  is  meanly  built;  it  is  hot  and  dusty, 
and  the  almost  constant  winds  drive  the  dust  in  clouds 
through  the  streets.  But  its  picturesque  market  is  a  re- 
deeming feature.  Every  morning  it  is  crowded  and  pre- 
sents a  brilliant  and  lively  spectacle.  All  the  trade  is 
in  the  hands  of  women,  and  the  Tehuantepec  women  have 
the  reputation  of  being  the  handsomest  in  the  world.  They 
are  large,  finely-built,  and  in  their  movements  exhibit  an 
indescribable  freedom  and  grace.  Their  natural  attrac- 
tions are  set  off  by  a  characteristic  and  becoming  costume. 
The  huipilili  is  a  little  sleeveless  waist,  loose  at  the  neck  and 
arms,  and  so  short  that  it  rarely  reaches  to  the  waist-line, 
to  which,  of  course,  it  is  supposed  to  extend;  it  is  of  bright 
cotton  —  red,  brown,  purple,  with  stripes  or  spots  of  white 
—  and  is  stitched  at  the  neck  with  yellow  silk.  The  ena- 
gua,  or  skirt,  is  a  strip  of  heavy  cotton  cloth,  less  than  a 
yard  wide,  which  is  simply  wrapped  around  the  figure  and 
hangs  from  the  waist,  being  held  in  place  by  a  brightly 
colored  belt  or  girdle.  The  enagua  is  usually  a  rich  red, 
but  it  is  sometimes  a  fine  violet  purple.  It  reaches  but 
little  below  the  knees.  It  generally  fails  to  meet  the  hui- 
pilili above,  so  that  a  broader  or  narrower  band  of  fine,  dark 
brown  separates  the  two  garments.  Nothing  is  worn  on 
the  feet,  which  are  exposed,  as  are  also  the  finely  shaped 
and  beautifully  developed  arms.  But  the  most  striking 
article  in  the  Tehuantepec  woman's  costume  is  her  huipil, 

39 


4Q 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


which  travellers  usually  describe  as  a  head-dress,  although 
it  is  nothing  of  the  kind.  It  is  in  reality  a  waist-garment 
with  sleeves.  It  is  made  of  lace  or  cotton,  or  linen,  and  is 
bordered  at  the  neck,  the  sleeves,  and  the  lower  margin 
with  broad  ruffs  of  pleated  lace.  Only  at  church  or  on  some 
important  or  ceremonial  occasion  is  the  huipil  worn  as  it 
was  meant  to  be.  Usually  at  church  the  wearer  draws 
the  garment  over  her  upper  body,  but  does  not  put  her 
arms  into  the  sleeves,  nor  her  head  through  the  neck-open- 
ing, simply  fitting  her  face  into  this  in  such  a  way  that  it 
appears  to  be  framed  in  a  broad,  oval,  well-starched  border 
of  pleated  lace.  Usually,  however,  the  garment  is  not  even 
worn  in  this  manner,  but  is  turned  upside  down  and  care- 
lessly hung  upon  the  head  so  that  the  broad  lower  fringe  of 
lace  falls  back  upon  the  hair,  while  the  upper  part  of  the 
garment,  with  the  sleeves,  the  collar,  and  cuff-ruffs,  hangs 
down  upon  the  back.  The  whole  effect  is  that  of  a  fine 
crest  rising  from  the  head,  coursing  down  the  back,  and 
moving  with  the  breeze  as  the  woman  walks.  These 
Zapotec  women  are  fond  of  decoration,  but  particularly 
prize  gold  coins.  In  the  past,  when  Tehuantepec  was 
more  important  than  now,  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  to 
see  a  woman  in  this  market  with  several  hundred  dollars  in 
gold  coins  hanging  to  her  neck  chain.  In  these  later  days 
of  little  trade  and  harder  times,  these  once  prized  decora- 
tions have  been  spent,  and  it  is  rare  to  see  any  woman 
wearing  more  than  twenty  to  fifty  dollars  as  display. 

Resuming  our  journey,  we  struck  out  upon  the  high- 
way which  parallels  the  coast.  Almost  immediately,  the 
road  changed  from  a  fair  country  cart-road  to  a  road  remark- 
able at  once  for  its  straightness,  breadth  and  levelness. 
It  was,  however,  dreadfully  hot  and  dusty,  and  was 
bordered  on  both  sides  with  a  tiresome  and  monotonous 
growth  of  low,  thorn-bearing  trees,  with  occasional  clumps 


The  Wide  Road;  Tehuantepec  to  Juchitan 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 


41 


of  palms.  We  ate  dinner  at  Juchitan,  in  a  little  eating- 
house  conducted  by  a  Japanese!  A  little  beyond  that  im- 
portant indian  centre,  we  saw  a  puma  pace  forth  from 
the  thicket;  with  indescribably  graceful  and  slow  tread  it 
crossed  the  dusty  road  and  disappeared  in  the  thicket. 
In  the  morning  we  had  startled  flocks  of  parrots,  which 
rose  with  harsh  cries,  hovered  while  we  passed,  and  then 
resettled  on  the  same  trees  where  they  had  been  before. 
In  the  evening  we  saw  pairs  of  macaws  flying  high,  and  as 
they  flew  over  our  heads  they  looked  like  black  crosses 
sharp  against  the  evening  sky.  At  evening  we  reached 
Guvino,  a  dreadful  town,  in  the  population  of  which  there 
seems  to  be  a  negro  strain.  We  stopped  with  the  presi- 
dente,  in  whose  veins  flowed  Spanish,  indian,  and  negro 
blood.  In  his  one-roomed  house  besides  ourselves  there 
slept  the  owner,  his  wife,  two  daughters,  one  with  a  six- 
weeks  baby,  a  son,  and  two  young  men  —  friends  of  the 
family. 

Turning  north  the  next  day,  onto  the  Niltepec  road, 
we  wandered  from  our  trail,  losing  five  leagues  of  space 
and  more  than  three  hours  of  time.  The  country  through 
which  we  passed  was  terribly  dry;  there  were  no  running 
streams.  We  crossed  the  bed  of  one  dried  river  after  an- 
other—  streaks  of  sand  and  pebbles.  The  people  in  the 
villages  near  these  dried  river-beds  dug  holes  a  foot  or  two 
deep  into  this  sand  and  gravel  and  thus  got  water.  At 
the  place  where  we  camped  for  the  night,  Suspiro  Ranch, 
a  new  house  was  being  palm-thatched.  All  the  men  and 
boys  of  the  neighborhood  were  helping;  the  labor  was  care- 
fully divided;  some  were  bringing  in  great  bundles  of  the 
palm  leaves;  others  pitched  these  up  to  the  thatchers, 
who  were  skilfully  fitting  them  under  and  over  the  poles  of 
the  roof  framework  and  then  beating  them  firmly  home. 
Many  of  the  helpers  had  come  considerable  distances  and 


4* 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


spent  the  night,  so  that  we  shared  our  room  with  quite  a 
dozen  men  and  boys,  while  the  women  and  children  slept 
in  another  house. 

Passing  through  Zanatepec,  we  stopped  for  Sunday  at 
Tanatepec.  Here  we  found  ourselves  again  upon  the  low 
coast  road.  It  was,  however,  our  last  point  of  low  altitude, 
as  from  there  we  struck  inland  over  a  higher,  cooler,  and 
more  interesting  mountain  road.  At  Zanatepec  we  first 
saw  the  marimba  played.  This  musical  instrument,  un- 
questionably African  in  name  and  origin,  is  hardly  found 
north  of  Chiapas,  but  is  extremely  common  through  Central 
America.  It  consists  of  a  wooden  frame  supporting  keys 
made  of  wood  and  metal,  each  of  which  gives  forth  its  own 
note  when  struck  with  small  hammers.  Below  the  keys  of 
lowest  tone  are  hung  tubes,  pipes,  or  gourds,  as  sounding 
boxes  to  increase  the  sound  produced  by  striking  the  key. 
Usually  four  players  perform  at  one  time,  each  using  two 
or  more  little  hammers.  The  music  is  rapid  and  brilliant, 
somewhat  resembling  that  of  the  piano.  The  instrument 
usually  has  some  fanciful  name,  which  is  painted  upon  it. 
The  one  at  Tanatepec  was  La  Azteca  (The  Aztec  Lady), 
while  our  next  one  was  La  reina  de  las  flores  (The  queen 
of  the  flowers).  At  Zanatepec,  La  Azteca  was  an  adver- 
tising part  of  a  traveling  circus.  The  troupe  consisted  of 
three  men  and  three  women,  the  latter  of  whom  seemed  to 
be  mulattos.  The  men  were  ridiculously  garbed  and 
painted  to  represent  wild  indians.  The  real,  live  indians, 
who  followed  these  clowns  in  delighted  crowds,  enjoyed 
thrills  of  terror  at  their  whoops,  fierce  glances,  and  wild 
antics,  and  assured  us  that  these  actors  were,  if  not  the  real 
thing,  at  least  wonderfully  accurate  impersonations  of  the 
natives  of  the  Estados  unidos  (United  States)  —  the  land 
of  the  "  Apaches.' ' 

From  Tanatepec  we  were  in  Chiapas,  the  southernmost 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 


43 


state  of  the  republic.  We  struck  out  over  a  fine  mountain 
road,  passable  for  carts  all  the  way  to  Tuxtla  Gutierrez,  the 
capital  of  the  state.  Our  first  ascent  was  over  a  magnifi- 
cent mountain  mass  of  syenite,  which  at  some  places  seemed 
to  be  as  fine  as  our  own  Quincy  stone.  The  road,  with 
many  short  zigzags,  made  a  remarkably  abrupt  ascent,  and, 
having  reached  the  crest,  wound  like  a  vast  serpent  along 
the  summit.  As  we  descended  into  the  following  valley, 
we  encountered  a  beautiful  deer,  which  stood  in  the  middle 
of  the  road,  eyeing  us  with  curiosity,  until  we  were  almost 
upon  it,  when  it  dashed  into  the  thicket  and  then  stopped 
to  again  eye  us.  Upon  attaining  the  second  summit  we 
were  amid  pines.  All  day  we  had  had  a  wind  in  our  faces, 
cold  and  so  strong  as  to  almost  blow  us  from  the  narrow 
ridge,  yet  the  sky  was  cloudless.  Looking  back  from  our 
summit,  a  magnificent  view  to  the  ocean  was  spread  before 
us.  Below  us  were  the  mountains  over  which  we  had 
come,  then  a  valley  broken  with  mountains  of  a  lesser  size; 
beyond,  was  the  dry,  coastal  plain,  and  yet  beyond  it,  the 
sea.  The  dark  green  pines,  the  blue  sky,  the  brown  hills, 
the  gray  plain,  the  stretch  of  blue-green  waters,  made  a 
wonderful  color  combination. 

The  next  two  days  were  most  uninteresting.  We  were 
often  reminded  of  the  recent  threat  of  war  between  Mexico 
and  Guatemala,  the  disputed  border-line  between  which 
we  were  now  nearing.  We  met  marching  bands  of  soldiers 
who  were  returning  to  Juchitan.  Officers  were  on  horses, 
common  soldiers  on  foot,  pack-mules  were  laden  with  lug- 
gage, the  women  (accompanying  their  husbands)  were 
weighed  down  with  coffee-pots,  bundles  of  clothes,  and 
babies,  all  strapped  on  their  backs  together.  They  were 
a  motley  crew.  At  Jiquipilas  a  company  was  encamped 
in  the  plaza.  Our  mule,  Chontal,  took  particular  delight 
in  running  into  such  bands  of  marching  soldiers  as  we  en- 


44 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


countered,  causing  no  end  of  trouble.  On  one  occasion, 
as  a  group  approached  us,  he  ran  forward  at  a  lively  pace 
into  their  midst  and  tangled  himself  up  with  a  party  of 
prisoners, —  apparently  soldiers  in  disgrace,  —  who,  tied 
together  with  ropes,  were  under  guard.  As  we  rode  up 
to  capture  him,  I  felt  a  hand  at  that  coat  pocket  which  con- 
tained our  money-bag  and,  turning  suddenly,  found  one  of 
the  guard  trying  to  draw  the  bag  of  money  from  my 
pocket.    I  struck  at  him  with  my  whip  and  he  slunk  away. 

The  last  day  of  travel  before  reaching  Tuxtla  Gutierrez, 
we  passed  one  of  the  few  pretty  places  on  this  dreary  road, 
Agua  Bendita.  At  this  point  the  road  makes  a  great  curve, 
almost  like  a  horseshoe;  at  the  middle  of  this  curve  there 
rises  to  the  right  of  the  road  a  wall  of  limestone  rock  the 
plainly  denned  strata  of  which  are  thrown  into  a  gentle 
anticlinal  fold.  The  upper  layers  of  this  arch  were  covered 
with  shrubs,  clinging  to  its  face,  while  the  lower  layers  were 
tapestried  with  a  curtain  of  delicate  ferns,  which  hung 
down  over  the  open  arch  below,  under  which  the  road 
passed.  Water  trickled  through  this  limestone  mass  and 
dripped  and  collected  in  little  basins,  which  had  been  exca- 
vated in  the  ledge  close  by  the  roadside.  Some  grateful 
passer  had  set  up  little  crosses  by  the  water  pools,  and  they 
were  gay  that  day  with  purple  orchids  plucked  from  a  near- 
by tree.  In  this  tree,  amid  the  brilliant  clumps  of  yet 
unplucked  blossoms  of  the  orchids,  were  a  number  of 
toucans  with  their  enormous,  brightly  colored  bills  —  the 
picos  de  canoa  (canoe  beaks)  of  the  people. 

Tuxtla  Gutierrez  is  a  town  of  some  thousands  popula- 
tion, with  a  central  plaza  where  the  local  band  plays  almost 
every  evening,  and  a  market  place  of  exceptional  interest. 
Here,  as  nowhere  else,  we  saw  crowds  of  the  purest  indians 
in  native  dress.  Chiapas  is  the  home  of  at  least  thirteen 
tribes,  each  with  its  own  language.    Among  the  most 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 


45 


interesting  indians  we  saw  in  the  market  were  the  Tzotzils, 
from  Chamula,  who  wore  heavy,  black  woolen  garments. 
The  indians  of  the  town  and  its  immediate  vicinity  are  Zoques. 

Few  Mexican  governors  possess  the  breadth  of  view 
and  the  intelligent  enterprise  of  Governor  Leon,  whom 
we  encountered  here.  A  man  of  middle  age,  of  fair  stature 
though  slight  in  build,  with  dark  complexion,  iron-gray 
hair,  beard  and  whiskers  carefully  trimmed  after  the  French 
fashion,  his  appearance  creates  a  favorable  impression. 
He  did  everything  in  his  power  for  our  comfort  and  assist- 
ance, and  supplied  us  with  letters  to  the  jejes  politicos  of 
the  districts  through  which  we  were  to  pass.  We  con- 
gratulated him  upon  the  cart-road  over  which  we  had  come 
from  Zanatepec,  an  important  public  work  for  this  part  of 
the  world;  he  told  us  he  began  it  three  years  ago  with  a 
force  of  but  nine  men;  that  it  would  be  extended  to  San 
Cristobal  and  San  Bartolome;  that  he  was  no  engineer, 
but  that  he  could  tell  quite  well  when  a  road  was  passable 
for  a  cart.  We  found  him  greatly  interested  in  a  congress 
which  he  had  called  of  persons  interested  in  labor  questions. 
Among  the  questions  which  he  hoped  to  see  considered 
was  the  abolition  of  the  system  of  peonage,  which  still 
exists  in  full  development  in  the  state. 

Less  than  three  leagues  from  Tuxtla  Gutierrez  is  Chiapa, 
famous  for  the  brightly  painted  gourds  and  calabash  ves- 
sels there  manufactured  and  sent  out  to  all  parts  of  the 
republic.  Toys,  rattles,  cups,  and  great  bowl-basins  are 
among  the  forms  produced.  We  visited  a  house  where 
five  women  were  making  pretty  rattles  from  little  crook- 
necked  gourds.  The  workers  sat  upon  the  floor,  with  their 
materials  and  tools  before  them.  The  first  one  rubbed  the 
body  of  the  dry  gourds  over  with  an  oil  paint.  These 
paints  are  bought  in  bulk  and  mixed  upon  a  flat  slab,  with 
a  fine-grained,  smooth,  hard  pebble  as  a  grinder,  with  aje 


46 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


and  a  white  earth  dug  near  the  road  between  Chiapa  and 
Tuxtla  Gutierrez.  The  aje  is  a  yellow,  putty-like  mass 
which  gives  a  brilliant,  lacquer-like  lustre;  the  white  earth 
causes  the  color  to  adhere  to  the  surface  to  which  it  is  ap- 
plied. The  second  woman  rubbed  the  neck  of  the  gourd 
with  green  paint;  the  third  painted  the  line  of  junction  of 
the  two  colors  with  white,  using  a  brush ;  the  fourth  brought 
out  the  lustre  of  the  before  dull  object  by  rubbing  it  upon 
a  pad  of  cotton  cloth  upon  her  knee,  giving  a  final  touch  by 
careful  rubbing  with  a  tuft  of  cotton-wool;  with  a  brush, 
the  final  worker  rapidly  painted  on  the  lustrous  surface 
delicate  floral  or  geometric  decoration.  Though  repre- 
senting so  much  delicate  and  ingenious  labor,  these  pretty 
toys  were  sold  at  the  price  of  two  for  a  medio  (three  cents 
in  United  States  currency). 

The  aje  which  gives  the  brilliant  lustre  to  this  work 
deserves  more  than  a  passing  notice.  It  is  made  chiefly 
at  San  Bartolome  and  is  secured  from  an  insect,  a  sort  of 
plant-louse,  which  lives  upon  the  blackthorn  and  related 
trees.  The  insect  is  found  only  in  the  wet  season,  is  small, 
though  growing  rapidly,  and  is  of  a  fiery-red  color,  though 
it  coats  itself  over  with  a  white  secretion.  It  lives  in  swarms, 
which  form  conspicuous  masses.  These  are  gathered  in 
vessels,  washed  to  remove  the  white  secretion,  boiled, 
crushed,  and  strained  through  a  cloth;  an  oily  matter, 
mixed  with  blood  ( ?)  and  water  passes  out,  which  is  boiled 
to  drive  off  the  water  and  to  concentrate  the  oily  mass. 
This  is  then  washed  in  trays,  to  rid  it  of  the  blood,  and  made 
up  into  balls,  which  are  sold  at  ten  or  twelve  centavos  (five 
or  six  cents)  a  pound.  It  is  a  putty-like  substance,  with  a 
handsome  yellow  color.  We  have  already  stated  that  it  is 
ground  up  with  dry  paints  to  be  rubbed  on  the  object  which 
is  to  be  adorned,  and  that  the  brilliant  lustre  is  developed 
by  gentle  and  rapid  friction. 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 


47 


Pinto,  a  spotting  or  discoloring  of  the  skin,  is  a  common 
disease  in  many  parts  of  Mexico.  Three  varieties  are  rec- 
ognized —  white,  red,  and  blue  or  purple.  The  disease  is 
particularly  frequent  in  the  states  of  Guerrero  and  Chiapas, 
and  we  had  heard  that  it  was  very  common  in  Chiapa. 
Perhaps  twenty  per  cent  of  the  population  really  has  the 
disease;  at  San  Bartolome  perhaps  seventy-five  per  cent 
are  affected;  in  some  towns  an  even  larger  proportion  is 
reported.  The  white  form  appears  the  commonest.  One 
subject  examined  at  Tuxtla  Gutierrez  was  a  woman  some 
sixty  years  of  age.  At  birth  she  showed  no  symptom  of 
the  trouble,  but  spots  began  to  appear  when  she  was  seven 
or  eight  years  old.  She  was  naturally  dark,  and  the  white 
spots  were  in  notable  contrast  to  her  normal  color;  the 
spots  increased  in  number  and  in  size  until  her  face  and 
arms  looked  as  if  they  had  been  white  and  become  brown - 
spotted,  instead  of  vice  versa.  After  she  was  forty  years  of 
age  her  spots  varied  but  little.  The  cause  of  this  disease 
is  still  obscure,  although  several  treatises  have  been  written 
upon  it.  Authorities  do  not  even  agree  as  to  the  sequence 
of  the  forms  of  the  disease,  if  there  be  such  sequence.  Some 
assert  that  the  white  form  is  the  early  stage  and  that  the 
disease  may  never  progress  beyond  it ;  others  assert  that  the 
white  spots  are  merely  the  permanent  scars,  left  after  the 
disappearance  of  the  disease  itself.  Maps  of  distribution 
seem  to  show  a  distinct  relation  of  the  disease  to  altitude 
and  character  of  water-supply.  The  common  herd  attrib 
ute  it  to  an  insect  sting,  to  drinking  of  certain  water,  or 
to  bathing  in  certain  pools.  Usually,  there  is  no  pain  or 
danger  connected  with  the  trouble,  except  in  the  red  form, 
but  if  the  person  affected  changes  residence,  itching  and 
some  discomfort  may  temporarily  ensue.  The  presidente 
at  Chiapa  took  us  to  the  jail,  where  the  prisoners  were  filed 
before  us  and  made  to  hold  out  hands  and  feet  for  our 


48 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


inspection.  Such  cases  of  pinto  as  were  found  were  some- 
what carefully  examined.  All  we  encountered  there  were 
of  the  white  variety.  Later,  at  private  houses,  we  saw  some 
dreadful  cases  of  the  purple  form.  Very  often,  those  whose 
faces  were  purple-blotched  had  white-spotted  hands  and 
feet. 

We  had  not  planned  to  stop  at  Acala,  but  after  a  hard 
ride  over  a  dreary  road  and  a  ferrying  across  a  wide  and 
deep  river  in  a  great  dug-out  canoe  thirty  feet  or  more  in 
length  —  our  animals  swimming  alongside  —  we  found 
our  beasts  too  tired  for  further  progress.  And  it  was  a  sad 
town.  How  strange,  that  beautifully  clear  and  sparkling 
mountain  water  often  produces  actual  misery  among  an 
ignorant  population!  Scarcely  had  we  dismounted  at  our 
lodging  place,  when  a  man  of  forty,  an  idiot  and  goitrous, 
came  to  the  door  and  with  sadly  imperfectly  co-ordinated 
movements,  gestured  a  message  which  he  could  not  speak. 
Almost  as  soon  as  he  had  gone  a  deaf-mute  boy  passed. 
As  we  sat  at  our  doorway,  we  saw  a  half-witted  child  at 
play  before  the  next  house.  Goitre,  deaf -mutism,  and 
imbecility,  all  are  fearfully  common,  and  all  are  relatedly 
due  to  the  drinking  water. 

To  us,  sitting  at  the  door  near  dusk,  a  song  was  borne 
upon  the  evening  breeze.  Nearer  and  nearer  it  came,  until 
we  saw  a  group  of  twelve  or  fifteen  persons,  women  in  front, 
men  and  children  behind,  who  sang  as  they  walked.  Some 
aided  themselves  with  long  staves;  all  carried  burdens  of 
clothing,  food,  utensils;  all  were  wearied  and  footsore  with 
the  long  journey,  but  full  of  joy  and  enthusiasm,  as  they 
were  nearing  their  destination  —  a  famous  shrine.  Pass- 
ing us,  they  journeyed  onward  to  an  open  space  at  the  end 
of  town,  where,  with  many  others  who  had  reached  there 
sooner,  they  camped  for  the  night.  The  next  day  we  con- 
stantly passed  such  parties  of  pilgrims;  coming  or  going 


at  San  Bartolome 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 


49 


to  this  shrine  which  lay  a  little  off  the  road  between  Acala 
and  San  Bartolome.  In  one  group,  we  counted  ninety 
pilgrims. 

We  had  been  told  that  San  Bartolome  was  full  of  goitre, 
and  we  really  found  no  lack  of  cases.  It  is  said  that  forty 
years  ago  it  was  far  more  common  than  now,  and  that  the 
decrease  has  followed  the  selection  of  a  new  water  source 
and  the  careful  piping  of  the  water  to  the  town.  In  the 
population  of  two  thousand,  it  was  estimated  that  there 
might  be  two  hundred  cases,  fifty  of  which  were  notable. 
None,  however,  was  so  extraordinary  as  that  of  which  several 
told  us,  the  late  secretario  of  the  town,  who  had  a  goitre  of 
such  size  that,  when  he  sat  at  the  table  to  write,  he  had  to 
lift  the  swelling  with  both  hands  and  place  it  on  the  table 
before  he  began  work.  The  former  prevalence  of  the  dis- 
ease is  abundantly  suggested  by  the  frequency  of  deaf-mutes, 
a  score  or  more  of  whom  live  here  —  all  children  of  goitrous 
parents.  Bad  as  was  San  Bartolome,  it  seemed  to  us  sur- 
passed by  San  Antonio,  where  we  found  the  disease  in  an 
aggravated  form,  while  at  Nenton,  our  first  point  in  Guate- 
mala, every  one  appeared  affected,  although  we  saw  no 
dreadful  cases. 

San  Bartolome  is  an  almost  purely  indian  town,  where 
for  the  first  time  our  attention  was  called  to  the  two  sets  of 
town  officials  —  indian  and  ladino.  The  indian  town 
government  consisted  of  four  indians  of  pure  blood,  who 
wore  the  native  costume.  This,  here,  is  characteristic, 
both  for  men  and  women.  The  men  wore  wide-legged 
trousers  of  native  woven  cotton,  and  an  upper  jacket-shirt, 
square  at  the  bottom,  made  of  the  same  stuff,  with  designs 
—  rosettes,  flowers,  geometrical  figures,  birds,  animals,  or 
men  —  wrought  in  them  in  red,  green,  or  yellow  wools; 
about  the  waist  was  a  handsome  brilliant  native  belt,  while 
a  bright  kerchief  was  twisted  about  the  head.    The  men 


50 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


were  well-built,  but  the  alcalde  was  a  white  pinto. 
Women  wore  huipilis,  waist-garments,  sometimes  thick 
and  heavy,  at  others  thin  and  open,  in  texture,  but  in  both 
cases  decorated  with  lines  of  brightly  colored  designs. 
Their  enaguas,  skirts,  were  of  heavy  indigo-blue  stuff  or 
of  plain  white  cotton,  of  two  narrow  pieces  sewed  together 
and  quite  plain  except  for  a  line  of  bright  stitching  along  the 
line  of  juncture.  As  among  other  indian  tribes,  this  cloth 
was  simply  wrapped  around  the  figure  and  held  in  place 
by  a  belt.  The  town  is  famous  for  its  weaving  and  dyeing; 
the  loom  is  the  simple,  primitive  device  used  all  through 
Mexico  long  before  the  Conquest.  We  were  surprised  to 
find  that  the  designs  in  colored  wools  are  not  embroidered 
upon  the  finished  fabric,  but  are  worked  in  with  bits  of 
worsted  during  the  weaving. 

From  San  Bartolome  to  Comitan,  the  road  passes  over 
a  curious  lime  deposit,  apparently  formed  by  ancient  hot 
waters;  it  is  a  porous  tufa  which  gave  back  a  hollow  sound 
under  the  hoofs  of  our  horses.  It  contains  moss,  leaves, 
and  branches,  crusted  with  lime,  and  often  forms  basin 
terraces,  which,  while  beautiful  to  see,  were  peculiarly  harsh 
and  rough  for  our  animals.  But  the  hard,  and  far  more 
ancient,  limestone,  onto  which  we  then  passed,  was  quite 
as  bad.  At  the  very  summit  of  one  hill  of  this  we  found  a 
cave  close  by  the  road;  entering  it,  we  penetrated  to  a  dis- 
tance of  perhaps  seventy-five  feet,  finding  the  roof  hung 
with  stalactites  and  the  walls  sheeted  with  stalagmite. 
Just  after  leaving  this  cave,  we  met  a  tramp  on  foot,  ragged, 
weary,  and  dusty,  and  with  a  little  bundle  slung  upon  a 
stick  over  his  shoulder.  He  accosted  me  in  Spanish,  ask- 
ing whence  we  had  come;  on  my  reply,  probably  catching 
my  foreign  accent,  he  winked  and  said  in  plain  English, 
—  "Yes?    And  where  are  you  going,  pard?  " 

After  a  hard  day's  ride,  over  a  shut-in  road,  destitute  of 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 


fine  views,  we  reached  the  crest  overlooking  Comitan. 
The  descent  was  almost  precipitous.  The  town,  better 
built  and  more  compact  than  most,  was  situated  near  the 
foot  of  the  hill;  near  it,  on  a  terrace,  was  the  cemetery. 
On  the  level  road,  stretching  to  a  long  distance  from  the 
town,  we  saw  lines  of  hundreds  of  pack-mules,  dwarfed  by 
distance.  South  from  the  town  stretched  a  grassy  plain, 
bordered  here  and  there  with  pine  trees.  Back  of  this 
plain  rose  round-topped  hills,  and  beyond  them  were  again 
the  blue  mountains;  far  in  the  distance,  behind  these, 
towered  the  mighty  crests  of  the  Guatemalan  Sierra  Madre. 

The  town  was  crowded,  as  the  annual  feria  (fair)  was 
in  progress,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  found  a  room 
to  sleep  in,  going  for  our  meals  to  one  of  the  many  tempo- 
rary eating-places  in  the  plaza.  Comitan  is  the  last  town 
of  consequence  in  Mexico,  and  has  wide  fame  on  account 
of  its  spirits,  known  at  comiteco.  This  drink,  of  enormous 
strength,  distilled  from  coarse,  brown  sugar  (panela),  is  a 
favorite  in  Guatemala,  and  its  smuggling  across  the  border, 
though  risky,  is  a  lucrative  business.  There  are  scores 
of  little  distilleries  in  the  town,  many  of  them  belonging  to 
and  conducted  by  women. 

Mexican  paper  money  is  useless  between  Tuxtla  Gutier- 
rez and  Comitan.  At  the  latter  city  it  may  be  exchanged 
for  silver,  but  with  difficulty.  From  here  on  we  found  no 
copper  in  circulation,  and  before  reaching  Comitan  we  had 
begun  to  receive  Guatemalan  silver  in  our  change.  Fully 
thirty  leagues  from  the  border  we  ceased  to  receive  Mexi- 
can silver  from  anyone.  This  notable  displacement  of 
Mexican  currency  seems  curious,  because  Guatemalan 
money  is  at  a  heavy  discount  in  comparison  with  it.  At 
San  Bartolome  we  sent  a  soldier-police  to  buy  zacate,  giving 
him  Mexican  money.  He  brought  back  two  Guatemalan 
pieces  in  change,  and  on  our  objecting  to  receive  it,  as- 


5* 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


sured  me,  not  only  that  the  money  was  good,  but  also  that 
here  the  people  were  Guatemalans.  "Here,"  said  he, 
"not  Mexico:  here  we  are  all  Can-era' s  people."  This, 
of  course,  was  sheer  treason.  Carrera,  the  pure-blood 
indian  who  in  the  stirring  days  of  1839  seized  the  power 
in  Guatemala,  a  strange  and  wild  being  who  had  a  real 
love  for  his  country,  has  left  a  profound  impression.  At 
times  an  exile,  he  had  lived  at  Comitan,  where  his  name 
was  familiar  to  all  the  indians  around.  His  coins  are  much 
prized  by  the  indians  for  necklaces  and  earrings,  and  even 
at  Tehuantepec  we  had  seen  women  wearing  his  little 
gold  pieces  in  their  ears. 

It  should  have  been  an  easy  matter  to  go  from  Comitan 
to  Nenton  (in  Guatemala)  in  a  single  day.  As  it  was,  we 
made  it  with  great  difficulty  in  two,  our  mule  Chontal 
apparently  being  completely  worn  out.  We  crossed  the 
llano,  passed  through  patches  of  pines,  and  then  came  out 
upon  a  terrible  country  of  limestone  hills.  In  our  last 
day's  journey  we  had  to  coax,  threaten,  beat,  drag,  and 
push  that  mule  until  our  voices  were  gone  and  our  arms 
were  tired.  Immediately  on  passing  the  line  into  Guate- 
mala, we  found  the  telegraph  wires  cut  and  poles  down, 
a  result  of  the  late  unpleasantness  with  Mexico.  The 
mountain  mass  before  us,  which  had  been  in  view  for  two 
days  past,  loomed  up  frightfully  before  us.  Would  our 
little  mule  be  able  to  pass  it?  We  remembered  what  an 
American  tramp,  whom  we  had  met  at  Tuxtla  Gutierrez 
and  who  had  walked  on  foot  from  Guatemala  City,  had 
said:  "Between  Nenton  and  Huehuetenango  you  will  pass 
over  a  mountain  that  will  make  your  heart  sick;  may  God 
help  you."  Just  at  dusk  we  looked  down  upon  Nenton 
in  a  little  valley,  with  a  fine  stream  crossed  by  a  pretty 
bridge,  where  mountains  rose  steeply  on  every  side.  Hav- 
ing been  registered  by  the  custom  officials,  we  slept  that 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 


S3 


night,  our  first  in  the  new  republic,  in  the  municipal 
house. 

Next  morning  we  started  bravely,  the  whole  town  having 
assembled  to  see  us  off.  We  safely  reached  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  where  the  mule  stopped  and  braced  himself. 
We  spoke  kindly,  coaxed,  dragged,  but  all  to  no  effect. 
Finally  he  started,  but  three  times  within  the  next  few 
minutes,  he  and  we  went  through  the  same  procedure. 
Patience  had  ceased  to  be  a  virtue;  we  held  a  serious  con- 
sultation. Ernst  asserted  that  by  placing  the  rope  over  the 
nostrils  of  the  animal  and  then  leading,  he  must  move. 
We  tried  the  experiment.  The  beast  gave  a  snort,  a  groan, 
lurched,  fell  over,  kicked  convulsively,  closed  his  eyes,  and 
lay  to  all  appearance  dead.  The  town  below,  which  had 
been  watching  progress,  came  running  up.  We  removed 
the  halter;  the  animal  lay  quiet.  The  pity  of  the  by- 
standers was  maddening;  their  remarks  exasperating. 
"Poor  little  mule,  he  dies;"  they  pointed  to  his  rubbed  sides, 
—  "Ah,  poor  creature!  What  a  heavy  load!  How  thin  he 
is."  It  is  certain  that  the  best  mule  in  the  town  was  in  far 
worse  condition,  and  as  for  food,  Chontal  had  eaten  more 
the  night  before  than  our  two  horses  put  together.  Having 
exhausted  their  vocabulary  of  sympathy,  our  friends  left 
us,  as  the  "poor  little  animal"  showed  signs  of  coming  to. 
We  concluded  to  engage  a  man  on  foot  to  carry  the  burden 
across  the  mountains  and  to  lead  Chontal.  After  some 
delay  a  man  was  found,  who  readily  agreed  to  carry  the 
burden  and  pack-saddle,  but  when  he  found  he  was  to  lead 
the  mule  besides,  he  defied  the  town  authorities  and  re- 
fused to  go.  Unfortunately,  he  was  a  carpenter  and,  by 
law,  could  not  be  made  to  go  against  his  will.  Hours 
passed,  while  another  carrier  was  sought.  Declaring  that 
I  would  not  return  to  town,  I  waited  on  the  road  with  the 
mule,  while  Ernst  rode  back  and  forth.    As  soon  as  he  had 


54 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


left,  the  beast  began  to  mend;  he  coughed,  raised  his  head, 
and,  opening  one  eye,  gravely  winked.  Taking  his  halter 
and  encouraging  him  to  rise,  I  led  him  a  few  yards  up  the 
hill,  when  he  again  braced  himself  and  I  desisted.  There 
he  ate  zacate.  Presently  we  took  another  turn,  mounted 
a  little  higher  up  the  hill,  where  he  stopped  again.  A  little 
later  we  made  another  journey,  and  again  halted.  Just 
then  I  heard  an  indian  boy  of  fourteen  years  calling  from 
the  cliff  above  me  in  great  excitement,  "Senor,  un  animal " 
(An  animal,  sir).  Clambering  over  rocks,  I  came  up  to 
the  boy,  with  his  machete  in  his  hand,  standing  at  the  foot 
of  a  tree  upon  the  leafless  branches  of  which  was  a  fine 
iguana  (lizard)  two  feet  or  more  in  length.  Visions  of 
iguana  steak,  which  I  had  long  desired  to  try,  rose  in  fancy. 
The  boy  was  disgusted  when  he  found  I  had  no  pistol  with 
which  to  shoot  his  animal,  but  grunted,  "If  we  but  had 
a  cord."  I  directed  him  where  to  find  a  cord  among  our 
luggage  and  on  his  return  he  made  a  slip-noose,  cut  a  long 
and  slender  pole  to  which  he  tied  his  snare,  then  handing 
me  his  machete  he  raised  his  pole  and  tried  to  slip  the  noose 
over  the  lizard's  head.  The  iguana  gave  a  leap,  and  as  it 
shot  by  me  I  struck  at  it  with  the  machete,  which  hit  it  and 
threw  it  on  the  rocks  below.  However,  before  we  could 
reach  it,  it  had  made  good  its  escape. 

Returning  to  the  mule  I  found  it  eating  grass  contentedly 
by  the  roadside.  It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
when  our  human  beast  of  burden  finally  arrived,  took  up 
his  burden  and  was  ready  to  start.  Then,  suddenly, 
I  took  a  new  resolve.  Before  us  rose  the  appalling  mass  of 
the  Sierra  Madre;  to  get  that  mule  across  it  would  wear  us 
out  in  mind  and  body;  I  regretted  that  he  had  not  died,  and 
determined  to  have  no  further  trouble  with  him.  Quickly, 
we  sent  back  word  to  Nenton  that  a  mule  and  saddle  were 
for  sale;  the  crowd  gathered.    We  demanded  fifteen  dol- 


THROUGH  CHIAPAS 


55 


lars  for  the  mule,  ten  for  the  saddle;  and  were  offered  ten 
and  five  respectively.  But  we  declared  we  would  kill  the 
mule  and  burn  the  saddle  before  we  would  take  less;  we 


triumphed.    Our  account  stood: 

Cost  of  mule  $45.00 

Cost  of  saddle   6.00 

$51.00 

Selling  price  of  mule   15  00 

Selling  price  of  saddle   10.00 

$25.00 

Loss  —  paid  for  experience  in  mules  $26.00 


CHAPTER  V 


AT  HUIXQUILUCAN 
(1897) 

/^\UR  serious  work  was  to  begin  with  one  of  the  most  con 
servative  and  reserved  of  Mexican  indian  populations. 
If  we  could  do  what  we  planned  to  do  with  the  Otomis, 
we  were  likely  to  have  but  little  greater  trouble  with  any 
tribe.  In  ancient  times  the  name  of  Otomi  was  synony- 
mous with  stupidity.  When  an  Aztec  was  particularly 
stupid  or  clumsy,  his  fellows  in  derision  called  him  an 
Otomi.  They  still  are  ignorant,  suspicious,  and  unpro- 
gressive. 

Huixquilucan,  which  we  had'  chosen  as  our  field  for 
labor,  is  situated  on  a  high  ridge  within  sight  of  the  National 
Railroad,  at  a  distance  of  perhaps  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
the  station  of  Dos  Rios.  A  crowd  of  indian  women  and 
children  are  always  at  the  station  when  trains  pass,  to  sell 
tortillas,  chalupas,  and  pulque  to  passengers;  few  travellers 
from  the  United  States,  passing  over  this  road,  have  failed 
to  notice  the  dark  and  ugly  faces  of  these  sellers,  and  have 
received  their  first  impression  of  the  indians  of  Mexico 
from  seeing  them.  Our  party,  three  in  number,  reached 
Dos  Rios  in  the  morning  and  began  work  at  the  station  with 
the  women  who  were  selling  there.  Dr.  Powell,  as  our  inter- 
preter, undertook  the  personal  dealings,  and  our  material, 
as  was  to  be  expected,  was  chiefly  women.  When  we  came 
to  record  the  names  of  our  subjects,  we  found  that  every 
woman's  first  name  was  Maria,  the  differentiation  between 
them  being  first  found  in  the  middle  name.    They  were 

56 


AT  HUIXQUILUCAN 


little  creatures,  scarcely  larger  than  well  grown  girls  of 
eleven  or  twelve  among  ourselves.  Some  old  women,  with 
grey  hair  and  wrinkled  faces  who  piously  kissed  our  hands 
when  they  met  us,  were  among  the  smallest.  Now  and 
then  some  young  woman  or  girl  was  attractive,  but  usually 
their  faces  were  suspicious,  sad,  and  old  before  their  time. 
The  skin  was  a  rich  brown;  the  eyebrows  heavily  haired, 
often  meeting  above  the  nose;  the  hair  grew  low  upon  the 
forehead,  and  in  young  women  the  forehead  itself  was 
covered  with  a  fine  downy  black  growth.  The  nose  was 
flat,  broad,  and  depressed  at  the  roots,  while  its  tip  was 
flat  and  wide.  The  eyes  were  dark  brown  and  the  hair  was 
black  and  coarse.  If  we  were  to  judge  the  population  by 
the  women  only,  we  might  call  the  Otomis  true  pygmies. 
The  average  stature  of  28  subjects  was  1,435  millimeters 
—  while  Sir  William  Flower's  limit  for  pygmy  peoples  is 
1,500  millimeters. 

Many  of  the  women  whom  we  measured  and  photo- 
graphed carried  babies;  the  disposition  of  the  children  while 
the  mothers  were  being  examined  was  something  of  a 
problem.  When  given  to  another  woman  they  usually 
cried  lustily,  and  so  conducted  themselves  as  to  distract 
the  attention  of  their  mothers  and  interfere  seriously  with 
our  work.  In  the  crowd  of  lookers-on  there  chanced  to  be 
a  little  girl,  surely  not  more  than  ten  years  old,  who  seemed 
to  be  a  born  caretaker.  Upon  her  back,  supported  by 
her  ayate,  she  carried  her  own  baby  brother.  We  quickly 
found  that  really  refractory  babies  were  best  committed 
to  her  charge.  No  matter  how  loudly  they  might  have  been 
crying  beforehand,  when  transferred  to  the  arms  of  this 
little  creature  they  became  instantly  quiet.  The  poor  little 
thing  was  kept  busily  employed  the  greater  part  of  the  after- 
noon with  the  two  babies,  one  upon  her  back,  the  other  in 
her  arms. 


58  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 

Almost  all  the  women  wear  the  ancient  costume,  which 
consists  of  the  huipil,  enagua,  }aja,  and  ayate.  The  hui- 
pil  is  a  cotton  blanket,  with  a  slit  through  which  the  head 
passes.  On  each  side  of  the  slit  are  bands  of  patterns  em- 
broidered in  bright  colors.  Much  of  the  remaining  sur- 
face of  the  garment  may  be  similarly  decorated ;  sometimes 
it  becomes  one  mass  of  designs.  The  patterns  are  usually 
geometrical  figures,  but  may  be  representations  of  animals, 
birds,  or  human  beings.  They  may  be  regularly  arranged, 
or  jumbled  together  haphazard.  The  enagua,  skirt,  con- 
sists of  two  strips  of  cloth  of  different  kinds  and  colors, 
sewn  together  side  by  side  and  then  wrapped  horizontally 
about  the  body.  The  strips  of  cloth  are  native  spun,  native 
dyed,  and  native  woven.  The  favorite  colors  are  dark 
blue,  brownish  purple,  or  indian  red,  horizontally  banded 
with  narrow  black  stripes.  The  two  strips  are  usually  joined 
by  a  line  of  colored  stitching.  The  enagua  is  simply  wrapped 
about  the  body,  sometimes  thrown  into  pleatings  in 
front,  and  held  in  place  by  a  broad  cotton  belt  of  bright 
color,  into  which  are  woven  birds,  animals,  human  figures, 
and  geometrical  forms.  These  belts  are  called  by  the 
Spanish  name,  jaja.  Both  men  and  women  carry  ayates. 
These  are  square  or  rectangular  blankets  made  of  ixtli,  the 
strong  fibre  of  the  maguey.  Like  the  enaguasy  they  usually 
consist  of  two  pieces,  side  by  side,  stitched  together  with 
some  bright  color.  The  fibre,  which  is  gotten  from  the 
leaves  partly  by  maceration,  partly  by  beating,  is  spun  in  a 
primitive  fashion.  Almost  every  woman  one  meets  upon 
the  road,  no  matter  what  burden  of  babies  or  goods  she 
carries,  has  a  hank  of  the  fibre  thrown  over  her  shoulder, 
and  keeps  her  little  spindle  whirling,  spinning  the  strong 
thread  as  she  walks.  Her  spindle  consists  of  a  slender  stick 
thrust  through  a  whorl  of  baked  pottery.  Such  whorls  are 
no  longer  made,  but  the  ancient  ones,  called  by  the  Aztec 


AT  HUIXQUILUCAN 


59 


name  malacates,  are  picked  up  in  the  fields  and  reapplied 
to  their  old  use.  Usually  the  ixtli  thread  is  left  of  its  orig- 
inal grey  or  white  color,  but  sometimes  the  fibre  is  dyed> 
a  fine  shade  of  orange  being  favored.  The  ixtli  thread  is 
woven  into  ayates,  which  are  used  for  carrying  burdens. 
Vegetables,  charcoal,  babies  —  anything  —  are  put  into 
them.  Two  ends  are  tied  together  to  hold  the  burden  in 
place,  and  the  other  two  are  passed  across  the  breast  and 
tied  in  front.  These  blankets  are  astonishingly  strong 
and  unyielding. 

At  evening,  after  a  fair  day's  work,  we  made  our  way 
on  foot  across  the  valley  and  up  the  long  slope  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  ridge  on  which  lay  Huixquilucan,  the  official 
centre  of  a  municipality  of  11,000  persons.  *Of  these, 
3,000  live  in  the  village,  while  the  remainder  are  clustered 
together  in  hamlets  like  San  Bartolito,  San  Francisco,  Agua 
Bendita,  or  are  scattered  in  single-house  settlements  over  the 
mountains.  Of  the  11,000  persons,  more  than  three-fourths 
claim  to  be  full  Otomis.  There  are  no  truly  poor  in  the 
whole  town.  Every  family  has  its  field,  its  house,  its  bit 
of  woodland.  All  the  people  still  speak  the  native  tongue, 
and  many  speak  no  other.  The  town  is  picturesquely 
situated  upon  the  crest  and  flank  of  a  long,  narrow  ridge, 
which  is  enclosed  by  a  grand  sweeping  curve  of  lofty  moun- 
tains. The  flanks  of  the  enclosed  ridge  and  the  whole  slope 
of  the  surrounding  mountains  are  occupied  by  the  little 
fields  of  the  indians,  long  narrow  patches  separated  by 
lines  of  maguey  or  century-plants.  The  houses  are  built 
of  adobe  bricks  with  thick  and  solid  walls,  which  are  usually 
plastered  on  the  outside  and  tinted  white  or  pink.  The 
roofs  are  pitched,  but  with  a  gentle  slope.  They  consist 
of  frameworks  of  poles  upon  which  long  narrow  shingles  are 
laid,  and  pegged  in  place  with  wooden  pegs  which  project 
both  above  and  below  for  several  inches  in  a  formidable, 


6o  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


bristling  way.  Sometimes  the  shingles,  instead  of  being 
pegged  in  place,  are  held  by  stones,  which  in  some  cases 
weigh  several  pounds,  and  are  laid  in  regular  horizontal 
lines. 

When  we  were  there,  great  stacks  of  corn-husks  were 
to  be  seen  in  almost  every  yard;  these  were  placed  on 
floorings,  raised  by  posts  some  distance  above  the  ground 
to  keep  them  from  animals.  A  long  ladder  usually  leaned 
against  one  side  of  the  stack  and  a  light  cross  of  sticks 
stuck  into  the  top  of  the  stack  kept  off  evil  influences. 
Sometimes  this  cross  was  cut  in  relief  on  the  smooth,  care- 
fully trimmed  end  of  the  stack  itself.  More  striking  than 
these  stacks,  and  quite  characteristic  of  the  Otomi  country, 
were  the  queer  corn-bins  or  granaries  called  by  the  Aztec 
name  cincalote.  They  rose  in  all  directions  like  great 
square  columns.  The  floor  of  boards  was  slightly  raised 
from  the  ground  by  stones,  and  measured  some  4  or  5  feet 
on  a  side;  from  its  corners  rose  4  poles,  sometimes  to  the 
height  of  20  feet;  these  were  connected  at  the  top  and  held 
firm  by  ropes.  The  sides  of  the  bin  were  built  up  of  a  cob- 
work  of  slender  staves  laid  horizontally.  The  vertical  bin 
thus  formed  was  filled  with  ears  of  corn  roofed  about  with 
a  light  thatch  or  shingled  roof.  Later  in  the  season,  as  the 
corn  was  taken  from  these  bins,  the  sides  would  have  been 
removed  piecemeal  to  keep  progress  with  the  diminishing 
hoard.  When  the  time  of  planting  should  be  near,  the 
whole  structure  but  the  floor  and  upright  poles  would  have 
disappeared. 

Next  to  maize  the  chief  culture  among  the  Otomis  is 
maguey.  This  forms  division  lines  between  the  corn-fields 
and  the  village  yards,  and  is  sometimes,  though  not  com- 
monly here,  planted  in  fields.  The  maguey  is  an  agave 
very  close  to  the  century-plant.  Manifold  are  its  uses, 
but  to  the  Otomi  its  value  is  chiefly  in  two  directions.  It 


AT  HUIXQUILUCAN 


61 


furnishes  ixtli  fibre  for  ayates,  and  it  yields  pulque.  For 
a  dozen  years  the  maguey  plant  stores  away  starchy  food 
in  its  long,  thick,  sharp-pointed  leaves.  It  is  the  intended 
nourishment  for  a  great  shaft  of  flowers.  Finally,  the 
flower-bud  forms  amid  the  cluster  of  leaves.  Left  to  itself 
the  plant  now  sends  all  its  reserve  of  food  into  this  bud,  and 
the  great  flower-stalk  shoots  upward  at  the  rate  of  several 
inches  daily;  then  the  great  pyramid  of  flowers  develops. 
But  man  interferes.  The  flower-bud  is  cut  out,  and  a  neat, 
deep  cup  is  fashioned  amid  the  bases  of  the  cluster  of 
leaves.  The  sap  which  should  produce  that  wonderful 
growth  is  poured  into  this  cup.  The  pulque  gatherer,  with 
his  long  gourd  collecting-tube,  and  skin  carrying-bottle, 
goes  from  plant  to  plant  and  gathers  the  agua  miel  — 
honey-water.  Fermented,  it  becomes  the  whitish,  dirty, 
ropy,  sour-tasting,  bad-smelling  stuff  so  dear  to  the  in- 
dians.  And  the  Otomi  are  fond  of  pulque.  We  were 
compelled  to  do  our  work  in  the  mornings;  in  the  after- 
noons everyone  was  drunk  and  limp  and  useless  in  the 
operator's  hands. 

We  slept  and  ate  at  the  house  of  the  presidente,  an  old 
mestizo  of  rather  forbidding  manners  but  kindly  spirit. 
Our  cases  came  rather  slowly  and  a  deal  of  coaxing,  argu- 
ment, and  bribes  were  necessary  to  secure  them.  Here  we 
gave  a  trifle,  a  few  centavos,  to  each  subject.  The  policy 
was  bad,  and  we  abandoned  it  with  reference  to  all  sub- 
sequent populations.  Naturally  the  natives  were  hostile 
to  our  work.  They  thought  that  we  were  measuring  them 
for  their  coffins;  that  they  would  be  forced  into  the  army; 
that  disease  would  result;  that  an  uncanny  influence  was 
laid  upon  them;  that  witchcraft  might  be  worked  against 
them.  After  having  had  a  lot  of  trouble  with  many  of  our 
subjects,  we  were  surprised  one  day  to  have  the  oldest  man 
of  the  village,  Antonio  Calistro,  born  in  1813,  still  so  hale 


62 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


and  hearty  that  he  works  his  own  fields,  come  in  for  meas 
urement  and  photographing.  He  still  wears  the  old  style 
of  dress:  a  loose  jacket  with  wide  sleeves  made  of  dark  blue 
woolen  cloth,  gathered  around  the  waist  by  a  closely-woven 
cotton  belt;  short,  wide-legged  trousers  of  buckskin.  He 
is  the  only  man  left  in  the  village  who  wears  his  hair  after 
the  old  fashion ;  that  on  top  of  his  head  in  front  was  combed 
together  and  braided  into  a  little  tail,  while  that  on  the 
sides  and  back  of  the  head  was  made  into  a  longer  braid. 
When  we  asked  him  how  it  was  that  he  was  not  afraid 
to  undergo  our  measurement  and  photographing,  we 
learned  that  someone  had  told  him  that  the  purport  of  the 
work  was  to  send  information  to  the  Pope  in  Rome  as  to  how 
his  Otomi  children  looked,  and  from  respect  for  the  Holy 
Father  the  old  man  of  eighty  years  had  walked  in  from  his 
distant  farm  to  be  measured  and  photographed. 

A  curious  fact  in  respect  to  the  Otomis  resulted  from 
our  study.  The  men,  apparently  of  pure  blood,  presented 
two  quite  different  types.  There  are  many  who  are  as 
little  as  the  women;  these  present  almost  the  type  already 
given  as  that  of  the  women,  but  are  a  little  lighter  in  color. 
The  second  type  is  tall,  sometimes  over  1,700  millimeters. 
It  is  lighter  in  color,  presenting  at  times  a  light  brownish- 
yellow  shade.  Some  indians  of  this  large  type  have  white 
skins,  blotched  with  disagreeable  red  or  purple.  The  eyes 
of  these  large  men  are  usually  widely-spaced,  and  the  face 
appears  rounder  than  in  their  smaller  brethren.  All  the 
Otomis  of  both  types,  men  and  women,  have  astonishingly 
big  heads,  and  many  dwarfish  individuals  would  require 
a  7i  hat. 

One  night  during  our  stay  we  had  a  grand  illumina- 
tion. It  was  St.  Martin's  Eve.  During  the  afternoon  the 
men  and  boys  planted  dead  trees  in  the  plaza  and  streets, 
and  filled  the  branches  with  bunches  of  dry  brush.  At 


AT  HUIXQUILUCAN 


63 


dusk  we  walked  up  to  the  crest  before  the  church.  AH 
through  the  valley  the  men  and  boys  had  been  busy,  and 
as  darkness  settled  down,  blaze  after  blaze  sprung  forth 
until  every  hillside  was  dotted  with  flaming  heaps.  On  every 
church  and  farm-house  of  large  size,  straight  lines  of  little 
bonfires  were  built  along  the  edges  of  the  roof.  There  must 
have  been  many  hundreds  of  fires  in  sight  at  once.  Mean- 
while, all  the  churches  of  the  little  hamlets  around  clanged 
their  bells  discordantly.  Then  the  church  close  by  us  burst 
into  illumination,  and  its  bells  joined  in  the  clangor  as  we 
started  down  the  hill.  The  villagers  were  putting  torches 
to  the  piles,  and  children  were  dancing  in  the  glare,  shoot- 
ing off  their  little  rockets  and  adding  their  full  share  to  the 
general  confusion. 

In  the  olden  time  Huixquilucan  had  a  bad  reputation 
for  highway  robberies.  A  great  hill  overlooking  the  town 
is  called  the  hill  of  crosses,  and  here  a  cross  by  the  way- 
side usually  signifies  a  place  of  murder.  Many  a  traveller 
in  the  not  distant  past  found  his  way  from  here  as  best  he 
could  to  the  capital  city  minus  burden  and  money,  minus 
hat  and  shoes,  and  sometimes  minus  clothing.  They  used 
to  say  that  from  Toluca  to  the  city  a  man  was  robbed 
three  times;  the  first  time  they  took  his  money,  the  second 
his  watch  and  valuables,  the  third,  his  clothes.  We  were 
told  that  the  church  here,  the  chief  church  of  our  Otomi 
friends,  is  called  "the  church  of  the  thieves,"  and  that 
it  was  even  lately  a  favorite  resort  of  ladrones,  who 
prayed  for  blessing  upon  their  thieving  expeditions  and  for 
release  in  case  they  should  be  taken  captive.  And  not  so 
long  ago,  among  the  little  silver  votive  offerings, —  eyes, 
legs,  arms,  hands,— all  given  in  fulfillment  of  promises 
for  the  cure  of  ailing  members, —  one  might  see  little  chains 
and  manacles,  visible  evidence  that  saint  or  Virgin  had 
kindly  released  some  fellow,  taken  in  his  misdeeds,  from 


64 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


a  well  deserved  punishment,  in  answer  to  his  pious 
prayers. 

Below  the  station  of  Dos  Rios  a  little  ravine  borders 
the  main  valley.  There,  within  sight  of  the  track  on  one 
side  of  the  ravine  lies  the  stone  which  long  ago  "fell  from 
the  moon."  It  is  a  great  boulder,  with  flat  lower  surface, 
and  round  upper  surface,  sufficiently  large  for  a  considerable 
party  to  camp  on.  The  earth  is  washed  away  somewhat 
from  below  it,  and  on  its  under  side  are  rude  figures  painted 
in  imitation  of  suns  and  circles  and  symbolic  designs.  It  is 
said  that  the  indians  throughout  the  country  around  respect 
this  rock,  making  prayers  and  offerings  to  it. 

One  of  Huixquilucan's  pretty  hamlets  is  Agua  Bendita, 
—  blessed  water, —  near  the  upper,  narrowing  end  of  the 
valley.  A  dozen  or  so  houses  compose  the  settlement. 
Near  it,  upon  a  little  side  gorge,  two  lovely  springs  burst 
forth  from  the  rock.  From  them  a  babbling  stream  of 
sparkling  water  flows,  in  which,  in  the  bright  sunshine, 
women  wash  clothes,  and  lay  them  out  on  bushes  or  grassy 
banks  to  dry;  little  naked  children  play  about  while  the 
mothers  labor;  hither  dusky  maidens  come  to  perform 
their  toilets;  here  women  fill  their  ollas  with  water;  here 
/w/gw-gatherers  wash  and  scrape  their  skin  bottles.  In 
the  little  tank  below,  where  the  water  lies  so  clear  that 
everything  is  visible  upon  its  bottom,  one  may  see  axolotls 
creeping.  They  are  water-salamanders,  but  they  have  a 
strange  history.  Like  frogs,  they  pass  through  a  series  of 
changes,  and  the  larval  is  very  different  from  the  adult  form. 
In  some  Mexican  lakes  of  genial  temperature,  the  little 
creature  goes  through  its  full  history  from  the  larva  to  the 
adult;  but  in  cold  mountain  lakes,  the  adult  form  is  never 
attained,  and  the  larva  (elsewhere  immature)  lays  eggs 
that  hatch  its  like. 

Our  last  evening  at  Huixquilucan,  I  went  out  to  pur- 


AT  HUIXQUILUCAN  65 


chase  native  garments.  We  rode  from  house  to  house, 
and  were  quite  away  from  the  town  in  a  district  where 
houses  were  few  and  far  between.  It  was  nearly  dusk 
and  our  search  must  end.  We  were  at  the  last  house  on  a 
slope  near  the  bottom  of  a  valley,  on  whose  opposite  slope 
were  but  a  few  houses.  The  people  were  primitive  in 
appearance,  dress  and  language.  They  could  not  under- 
stand all  we  said,  but  were  anxious  to  please  the  "  padre- 
cito"  whose  hand  they  kissed.  Having  no  clothing  to  sell 
us,  they  tried  to  help  us  procure  some.  Orders  were  given 
to  a  shy  and  wild  girl,  with  deep-set,  shining  jet-black 
eyes,  raven  hair  and  dark  brown  skin,  dressed  in  rags. 
Stepping  to  a  little  out- jutting  mass  of  rock,  she  gave  a 
wild  cry,  looking  across  the  valley  to  the  nearest  house  on 
the  opposite  slope,  fully  half  a  mile  away.  We  could  see  the 
people  of  the  house  turn  out  to  hear.  Then,  in  a  high, 
clear  voice,  strangely  penetrating,  but  without  harshness 
or  a  break  or  pause  for  breath,  with  rising  and  falling 
intonation,  she  cried  her  message.  There  was  a  moment's 
pause,  and  then  we  saw  the  answering  crier  take  her  place, 
and  in  the  same  clear,  penetrating,  unbroken,  up-and- 
down  voice,  came  back  the  reply.  It  was  not  favorable, 
and  the  old  man  apologized  for  the  failure,  as  he  kissed 
the  padrecito's  hand  in  parting. 

Some  weeks  later  we  were  again  at  Huixquilucan,  this 
time  to  secure  some  busts.  Having  reached  the  house  of 
the  presidente,  we  sent  out  our  drunken  friend  Augustin, 
who  had  been  useful  to  us  during  our  measuring  exper- 
iences, to  find  subjects.  He  finally  appeared  with  a  man 
who  agreed  to  submit  to  the  operation  for  one  peso.  Every- 
thing went  well  until  the  moulds  were  removed;  it  is  true 
that  in  the  removal  a  good  deal  of  hair  was  pulled  out,  but 
no  serious  damage  was  done.    When  the  peso  agreed  upon 


66 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


was  offered,  the  subject  indignantly  refused  to  receive  it, 
demanding  five.  I  replied  that  he  well  understood  our 
agreement:  there  was  his  peso)  if  he  cared  to  take  it,  good; 
if  not,  I  would  keep  it ;  but  that  to  pay  five  pesos  was  out  of 
the  question.  He  thereupon  grew  angry  and  boisterously 
demanded  the  increased  sum.  Several  of  his  friends  gath- 
ered and  backed  him  in  his  demand.  The  noise  they  made 
attracted  a  still  greater  crowd  until  at  last  we  were  sur- 
rounded by  forty  or  fifty  angry  indians.  The  man  con- 
tinued to  demand  his  five  pesos,  the  other  crying,  "Pay 
him  five  pesos."  I  was  firm,  declaring  that  the  man  should 
receive  no  more  than  had  been  promised.  Again  the  peso 
was  offered,  again  to  be  rejected.  At  that  moment  some 
brilliant  genius  cried,  "If  you  do  not  pay  five  pesos  we  will 
break  your  moulds."  And  the  cry  was  caught  up  by  the 
angry  crowd:  "Yes,  we  will  break  the  moulds  unless  you 
pay  five  pesos"  At  this  threat  I  told  my  two  companions 
to  stand  back  out  of  the  way,  and  then,  speaking  to  him 
who  had  suggested  the  breaking  of  the  moulds,  said,  point- 
ing to  them,  "Yes,  break  the  moulds."  His  ardor  cooled. 
Turning  to  another,  I  said  to  him,  "Come,  break  the 
moulds."  He  began  to  back  away.  Turning  to  the  cause 
of  the  disturbance,  who  had  joined  in  the  cry  about  destroy- 
ing the  moulds,  I  said  to  him,  "Come,  come,  we  are  waiting 
for  you  to  break  the  moulds."  No  one  made  a  move  toward 
destroying  our  plaster- work,  so  I  said,  "No,  you  know 
quite  well  you  will  not  break  the  moulds;  if  you  did,  you 
know  what  would  happen;  I  should  take  you  all  as  pris- 
oners to  Toluca."  At  that  moment,  catching  sight  of  the 
old  presidente  who  was  passing  on  the  road,  I  clapped  my 
hands  and  beckoned  him.  When  the  old  man  came  I  laid 
the  matter  fairly  before  him,  telling  him  the  agreement  that 
had  been  made,  the  time  taken  for  the  work,  and  the  fact 
I  had  offered  the  man  the  peso  promised;  that  he  now  de- 


AT  HUIXQUILUCAN 


67 


manded  five  pesos,  refusing  to  take  the  proffered  money. 
The  old  man  looked  a  moment  at  me,  then  at  the  angry 
indian;  then  at  me,  and  again  at  the  indian;  then,  step- 
ping up  to  him,  he  patted  him  on  the  back  as  a  father  might 
a  spoiled  child,  saying,  "Come,  come,  son;  don't  be  a  fool; 
three  good  days'  wages  for  an  hour's  time;  take  your  peso 
and  be  gone."  We  had  feared  the  incident  would  cast  a 
damper  on  our  work  and  hinder  other  subjects.  Far  from 
it.  We  were  supplied  as  rapidly  as  our  men  could  work 
at  the  same  price  we  paid  our  first  subject. 


0 


CHAPTER  VI 


LAKE  PATZCUARO 
(i897) 

A  If  EXICO  has  few  large  lakes,  the  largest,  Chapala, 
having  an  area  of  only  1,685  square  kilometers. 
Patzcuaro  is  much  smaller,  but  far  more  picturesque.  The 
form  is  something  like  a  fat  horseshoe;  fine  hills  rise  around 
it  on  all  sides,  behind  which  are  mountain  heights,  with 
jagged  outlines;  pretty  islands  dot  its  waters,  and  twenty- 
two  villages  or  towns  of  Tarascan  indians  are  situated  on 
its  borders.  The  indians  of  these  villages  rarely  use  the 
land  roads  in  going  from  town  to  town,  commonly  journey- 
ing by  canoes,  of  a  somewhat  peculiar  type.  These  are 
"dug  outs,"  made  from  single  tree  trunks,  and  range  in  size 
from  those  intended  for  a  single  hunter  to  those  which  will 
carry  ten  or  twelve  persons.  At  the  stern  they  are  cut 
almost  squarely  across;  at  the  bow  they  are  trimmed  to  a 
slope;  they  are  flat-bottomed  and  considerably  wider  at 
at  the  bottom  than  above;  they  are  dug  out  in  such  fashion 
that  the  walls  are  thin  and  almost  vertical  on  the  inner 
side.  Buttressing  pieces  are  left  at  the  bottom,  at  two  or 
three  places,  extending  across  the  canoe  and  no  doubt 
strengthening  the  sides;  they  also  serve  as  squatting  places 
for  the  passengers.  The  prow  narrows  as  well  as  slopes 
upward,  and  a  buttressing  piece  left  in  it  serves  as  a  foot-rest 
for  the  steersman,  who  sits  in  the  bow,  instead  of  in  the 
stern.  He  steers  by  means  of  a  long-handled  paddle  thrust 
through  a  loop  of  wood  fastened  to  one  side  of  the  canoe. 
The  paddles  used  for  propulsion  have  handles  three  or 

68 


lake:  patzcuaro 


69 


four  feet  long,  with  round  blades.  The  paddlers  sometimes 
make  their  stroke  on  but  one  side  of  the  canoe,  sometimes 
on  both.  When  they  paddle  over  one  side  only,  the  stroke 
of  the  oar  through  the  water  is  oblique,  maintaining  a  steady 
course. 

In  such  canoes  the  Tarascans  of  the  lake  villages  go 
from  place  to  place;  in  such  a  canoe,  we  started  one  morn- 
ing before  six  o'clock,  for  Sante  Fe  de  la  Laguna.  Our 
force  consisted  of  three  persons,  an  old  man  named  Felipe, 
his  wife,  and  a  young  man.  All  three  had  paddles,  but  only 
two  really  paddled,  the  third  one  steering.  The  sun  rose 
shortly  after  we  started,  and  the  light  effects  of  early  morn- 
ing on  the  water  and  surrounding  mountains  were  fine. 
Though  we  had  made  an  early  start,  many  had  started 
earlier,  and  in  the  first  part  of  our  journey  we  met  scores 
of  canoes,  the  paddlers  of  which  were  on  their  way  to  Patz- 
cuaro. It  was  a  beautiful  sight  to  see  six  or  eight  paddlers 
in  some  great  canoe  keeping  exact  time  in  their  movements, 
singing  as  they  went.  Sometimes  two  canoes  were  raced, 
and  laughter  and  excited  cries  accompanied  the  contest. 
Here  and  there  along  the  shores  we  saw  little  huts  of  fisher- 
men, with  nets  hung  out  to  dry,  or  groups  of  men  seining 
or  dropping  dip-nets;  upon  many  slopes  were  little  terrace 
garden  spots,  where  modest  crops  were  cultivated ;  here  and 
there  were  mats  lately  finished  or  heaps  of  fresh-cut  rushes 
for  their  fabrication.  Five  hours  of  good  paddling  brought 
us  to  Santa  Fe  de  la  Laguna,  just  opposite  the  far  more 
famous  Tzintzuntzan,  and  but  a  little  distance  from  the 
much  larger  town,  Quiroga.  Santa  Fe  is  quite  a  town, 
stretching  for  a  considerable  distance  along  a  terrace,  but 
little  elevated  above  the  water  level.  The  houses  are  built 
of  rather  large,  dark- brown,  adobe  bricks;  the  walls  are 
usually  white  plastered;  the  roofs  of  all  the  houses  are  tiled, 
and  the  supporting  rafters  of  the  roof  extend  out  far  beyond 


7° 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  front  wall  of  the  house,  so  that  the  passer  on  the  foot- 
path is  sheltered  against  rain  and  the  noonday  sun.  The 
outer  ends  of  these  rafters  are  cut  to  give  an  ornamental 
effect.  All  the  houses  are  surrounded  by  fruit  trees  — 
orange,  lemon,  lime,  ahuacate  and  chirimoya.  Each  little 
property  is  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall  of  some  height;  the 
gateway  through  this,  giving  entrance  to  the  yard,  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  pretty  little  double-pitched  roofing  of  thatch. 

A  crowd  of  pure  indians  had  gathered  at  the  landing, 
by  the  time  we  were  unloaded.  Forty  or  fifty  men  and 
women  of  medium  stature,  dark-brown  skin  and  broad, 
expressionless  faces,  watched  our  every  movement  with 
curiosity,  but  none  was  ready  to  assist  us  in  carrying  our 
luggage  to  the  curato.  Taking  it  ourselves,  as  best  we  could, 
we  found  a  boy  to  direct  us  and  made  our  way  to  the  house. 
The  cura  had  gone  to  Quiroga  and  his  suspicious  house- 
hold would  not  receive  us  until  his  return,  although  permit- 
ting us  to  leave  our  goods.  Going  to  the  plaza,  we  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  bread  and  cheese  at  a  tienday  and  after 
eating  loitered  until,  at  half-past-two,  the  Padre  Ponce 
made  his  appearance.  We  showed  him  our  letters  and  asked 
his  interest  and  aid.  He  at  once  made  us  at  home  in  his 
house,  summoned  the  officials,  read  the  governor's  letter 
aloud  to  them,  and  told  them  it  was  their  duty  to  assist  us 
in  every  way.  We  at  once  began  our  work,  and  before 
nightfall  had  measured  and  photographed  a  number  of  cases. 

The  next  morning,  Saturday,  all  started  merrily.  After 
breakfast,  however,  Padre  Ponce  left  us,  going  to  Quiroga 
for  celebrating  Christmas.  The  moment  he  was  gone, 
work  slackened,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  could 
procure  subjects.  Early  the  next  morning  the  padre  ap- 
peared to  say  mass,  after  which  he  stirred  up  the  people  and 
we  were  again  at  work.  But  as  soon  as  he  left  for  Quiroga, 
once  more,  the  interest  diminished.    Finally,  as  no  one 


LAKE  PATZCUARO 


71 


came  and  the  officials  had  disappeared,  we  started  out  upon 
a  tour  of  investigation.  We  found  the  whole  town  drunk; 
the  juez,  the  chief  of  police,  the  mayores,  all  were  too 
drunk  for  measurement.  We  experimented  upon  two  or 
three  subjects,  but  soon  gave  up  in  despair. 

Padre  Ponce  need  not  have  gone  to  Quiroga  for  Christ- 
mas celebrations;  we  had  them  also.  For  example,  we  had 
Los  Viejos.  One  afternoon,  we  saw  a  band  of  half-a-dozen 
persons  singing  in  the  street.  All  but  one  of  them  were 
men  or  boys  dressed  in  long  robes  of  brilliant  red,  purple 
or  green,  which  were  buttoned  down  the  front ;  their  heads 
were  covered  with  white  cloth,  over  which  were  fitted  little 
masks  of  clay.  The  last  one  in  the  company  was  a  woman, 
dressed  quite  in  the  usual  fashion,  but  barefoot  and  with  her 
rebozo  covering  her  face  and  a  man's  sombrero  on  her  head. 
Two  of  the  party  had  guitars  of  local  manufacture.  This 
company  strolled  through  the  streets,  singing  and  dancing; 
some  of  the  dancing  was  clog-dance,  some  the  jarabe,  a 
man  and  woman  taking  part.  Having  noticed  this  group, 
we  saw  that  the  whole  town  seemed  in  movement  toward 
the  corral  connected  with  the  shrine  behind  the  church. 
Following  with  the  crowd,  we  found  the  corral  already 
filled  with  people.  The  men  were  seated  on  benches  or 
squatting  against  the  walls;  women  and  children  were 
sitting  on  the  ground.  We  noticed  that  all  the  women 
brought  burdens,  which  proved  to  be  pots  full  of  hot  atole, 
bundles  of  large  tortillas,  trays  heaped  high  with  tamales, 
or  sacks  full  of  little  cups.  Various  bands  of  dancers  made 
their  way  around,  delighting  the  crowd  with  their  per- 
formances. The  group  we  had  already  seen  was  the  least 
interesting.  Those  that  really  represented  los  viejos  (the 
old  men)  were  the  best.  These  wore  large,  comic,  wooden 
masks,  many  of  which  showed  signs  of  long-continued  use; 
one  represented  a  long,  warty,  bearded  face  and  was  painted 


72 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


purple;  others  were  painted  red  or  brown,  but  most  of  them 
were  of  the  natural  color  of  the  wood;  great  wigs  of  corn- 
husk  or  of  matting  were  worn  over  the  back  of  the  head; 
the  clothing  was  ragged  and  dirty,  and  in  some  cases  was 
really  of  ancient  style;  some  wore  roughly  made  garments 
of  the  skin  of  the  tigre.  Each  band  had  its  leader,  and  each 
tried  to  outdo  the  others  in  the  oddity  of  performance, 
vigor  of  dancing  and  coarseness  of  jest.  Much  fun  and 
laughter  were  caused  by  their  antics.  Meantime,  boys  and 
young  women  were  busied  as  waiters.  Cups  of  steaming 
atole,  delicious  tortillas,  hot  tamales  were  distributed  until 
everyone,  including  the  strangers,  were  supplied.  No  one 
ate  until  the  whole  company  had  been  served,  when  the 
town  officials  set  the  example  and  all  fell  to  feasting.  Danc- 
ing, music,  laughter  and  fun  followed,  and  were  kept  up 
until  some  time  after  nightfall. 

On  the  second  day  after  Christmas  a  strolling  band  of 
pastores,  from  San  Geronimo,  passed  from  house  to  house 
singing  their  Christmas  songs.  The  company  consisted 
of  two  or  three  musicians,  a  carrier  —  who  was  an  indian 
boy  about  fifteen  years  old  —  and  half  a  dozen  other  young- 
sters, wearing  new  palm  hats  and  carrying  long  staves  end- 
ing above  in  a  loop  from  which  streamed  strips  of  brilliantly 
colored  tissue  paper.  The  carrier  bore  a  cushion,  upon 
which  was  stretched  a  figure  of  the  infant  Christ.  At  each 
house,  he  passed  before  the  spectators,  allowing  them  to 
kiss  the  figure  and  to  deposit  gifts  of  flowers  or  of  money 
for  the  little  church  at  San  Geronimo;  the  music  then 
struck  up,  the  leader  began  to  sing,  and  the  little  shepherds 
(pastores)  marched  around  and  around  singing  in  chorus. 

We  lost  quite  two  days  on  account  of  the  drunkenness 
of  the  town.  When  it  was  past,  by  a  vigorous  indulgence 
in  wheedling  and  threatening,  we  got  the  work  again  under 
way,  and  were  just  finishing  with  our  one-hundredth  man, 


Churchyard  and  Bells;  Tzintzuntzan 


LAKE  PATZCUARO 


73 


when  Padre  Ponce  returned  for  good  and  all.  We  had 
nearly  starved  during  his  absence;  his  old  housekeeper  had 
done  her  best  with  the  poor  materials  which  we  were  able 
to  secure,  but  the  best  was  bad.  With  Padre  Ponce  came 
another  priest,  Padre  Torres  of  Patzcuaro,  who  used  to  be 
located  at  Santa  Fe  and  was  much  loved  by  the  natives. 
With  the  assistance  of  the  two  Padres  we  were  able  to 
secure  and  deal  with  our  female  subjects  in  less  than  a  day, 
and  were  ready  to  bid  adieu  to  the  padrecitos  and  leave 
for  Tzintzuntzan. 

All  the  tourist  world  that  goes  to  Patzcuaro  visits  Tzin- 
tzuntzan to  see  the  Titian.  Padre  Ponce  was  anxious  to 
have  us  see  the  famous  picture  and  photograph  it.  It  was 
late  when  we  reached  the  town,  which  consists  in  large  part 
of  mestizos  and  indians  who  speak  little  but  native  Tarascan. 
We  found  the  cur  a  was  not  in  town,  but  were  taken  to  the 
curato;  arrived  there,  we  discovered  that  the  good  man  had 
taken  his  keys  with  him.  We  arranged,  with  some  diffi- 
culty, for  something  to  eat,  and,  after  supper,  were  shown 
into  an  open  room,  with  an  unfinished  roof,  without  a  door, 
and  with  no  hint  of  bed.  Here  we  shared  a  lumber  pile 
with  two  or  three  young  men  and  suffered  frightfully  from 
cold  all  night.  We  were  up  early,  as  sleep  was  impossible, 
and  filled  our  time  as  best  we  could,  until  it  was  light  enough 
to  photograph  the  picture. 

We  had  our  letter  from  Padre  Ponce  to  the  cura} 
in  which  he  recommended  the  priest  to  have  us  photograph 
the  painting.  This  letter  and  the  governor's  letter  we  had 
shown  the  town  officials  the  night  before,  telling  them  that 
we  should  make  the  picture.  They  replied  that  they  could 
not  give  permission  to  do  so  during  the  padre's  absence. 
After  we  had  breakfasted,  and  the  light  had  become  suf- 
ficient, we  made  our  way  to  the  old  church,  in  front  of 
which  are  some  beautifully  gnarled  and  irregular  ancient 


74 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


olive  trees,  amid  which  the  old  bells  are  quaintly  hung. 
Entering  the  church,  we  soon  found  the  Titian,  a  de- 
scent from  the  cross.  The  figures  are  boldly  painted  and 
skillfully  grouped;  the  action  and  lighting  concentrate 
upon  the  figure  of  the  Christ.  Padre  Ponce  had  told  us 
that  the  proper  place  from  which  to  photograph  was  the 
pulpit,  and  he  was  right.  The  sacristan  was  looking  on 
with  doubt :  when  he  saw  us  making  preparations  for  the 
picture,  he  hurried  to  us  and  said  it  was  against  all  rule 
for  anyone  to  take  a  photograph  when  the  cura  was  not 
present.  We  told  him  our  time  was  short;  that  we  must 
return  to  Patzcuaro  that  day  to  arrange  our  farther  journey; 
we  showed  the  governor's  order  and  Padre  Ponce's  letter, 
but  all  in  vain.  We  must  wait  until  the  cura  came.  With 
this  I  put  some  centavos  in  his  hand  and  told  him  I  was 
certain  his  duties  called  him  outside  the  church  and  that 
we  would  not  detain  him;  that  we  should  stay  awhile  to 
gaze  upon  the  picture,  which  deserved  close  and  pious 
examination.  He  at  once  withdrew,  locking  the  door 
behind  him.  The  instrument  was  quickly  placed  in  the 
pulpit  and  the  picture  taken.  Curiously,  the  sacristal 
duties  ended  just  as  we  were  ready  to  leave  the  church  and 
the  door  opened  as  if  we  had  said  "Open  sesame." 

By  ten-thirty  we  had  secured  a  canoe  and  boatmen, 
two  young  and  vigorous  pure-blood  indians.  Though 
a  wind  was  blowing  squarely  against  us,  we  made  good 
time.  We  stopped  at  the  picturesque  fishing-village  of 
Janicho,  on  its  rock  island.  Its  houses  cluster  on  a  little 
terrace  near  the  bottom  of  the  hill,  which  rises  behind 
it  as  a  fine  background.  Steps  of  rock  lead  up  the  stony 
slope  from  the  water's  edge  to  the  houses.  In  every  yard 
mattings  are  laid,  upon  which  little  white  fish  are  drying. 
As  they  walk  through  the  streets  or  stand  talking  together, 
the  men  are  ever  tatting  at  nets;  long  lines  of  net-cord  are 


LAKE  PATZCUARO 


75 


reeled  out  for  many  yards  along  the  wayside;  hundreds  of 
feet  of  seines  are  hung  out  in  the  sun  to  dry.  The  houses, 
with  their  pretty  red  tiling,  are  irregularly  clustered  along 
narrow  winding  streets.  The  people  are  purely  indian, 
and  wear  the  characteristic  dress. 

No  town  in  all  the  region  makes  so  much  use  of  the 
tsupakua,  or  spear-thrower,  a  wooden  stick  cut  to  fit  the 
hand  and  support  the  shaft  of  a  spear  or  long  dart,  the  end 
of  which  rests  against  a  peg  near  the  tip  of  the  thrower. 
By  means  of  this  instrument,  the  long,  light,  darts  of  cane 
with  iron  points  are  thrown  more  directly  and  forcibly  than 
by  the  hand  alone.  These  spears  are  used  in  hunting 
ducks.  Anciently  a  spear-throwing  stick  was  widely  used 
through  Mexico;  to-day  it  lingers  in  few  places,  the  best 
known  of  which  is  here  on  Lake  Patzcuaro. 


CHAPTER  VII 


TO  URUAPAN  BEFORE  THE  RAILROAD 
(1898) 

\X  7E  easily  arranged  at  Patzcuaro  to  leave  for  Uruapan 
*  *  the  next  morning.  Although  delayed  beyond  our 
proposed  hour  of  starting,  we  were  off  at  six.  It  was  early 
enough,  indeed,  for  the  morning  air  was  cold;  heavy  frost 
coated  the  leaves  and  grass  and  lay  upon  the  soil;  in  spite 
of  our  heavy  blankets,  wrapped  closely  about  us,  we  shiv- 
ered as  we  rode  along  upon  our  horses. 

The  ride,  however,  was  a  lovely  one.  At  first  we  seemed 
to  leave  the  lake  behind  us;  mounting  for  some  time  we 
reached  a  summit  from  which  it  again  broke  upon  our  view; 
descending,  we  constantly  caught  glimpses  of  it,  with  its 
sinuous  shores,  its  lovely  mountain  backgrounds,  its 
islands,  and  its  pretty  indian  towns.  Finally,  we  again  left 
it  and  rose  into  a  magnificent  mountain  region,  covered 
chiefly  with  pines.  Passing  through  Ajuno,  which  lies 
upon  a  steep  slope,  we  overtook  a  party  of  police,  mounted 
on  horses,  taking  a  group  of  prisoners  to  Uruapan.  At 
Escondidas,  itself  a  miserable  village,  we  were  impressed 
by  the  mercantile  spirit  of  these  indians.  In  all  these 
villages  the  houses  are  constructed  of  heavy  logs  or  timbers, 
closely  and  neatly  joined;  the  roofs  are  shingled  with  long 
and  narrow  shingles,  and  are  abruptly  four-sloped.  At 
every  house  there  was  something  for  sale  —  food,  drink,  or 
cigarros.  All  these  houses  were  built  close  to  the  edge  of  the 
road,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  front  was  a  little  square 

window,  in  which  the  goods  were  shown.    When  no  trade 

76 


TO  URUAPAN  BEFORE  THE  RAILROAD  77 


was  solicited,  these  windows  were  closed  with  solid  wooden 
shutters.  Not  only,  however,  was  every  house  a  store, 
but  on  the  highway  between  towns,  we  passed  many  places 
where,  beneath  brush  shelters,  women  offered  fruit,  food, 
or  drink  for  sale.  Usually  several  such  shelters  would  be 
near  together,  and  the  venders  had  gay  times,  chatting, 
laughing  and  singing.  Such  houses  and  roadside-selling  are 
common  through  the  whole  Tarascan  region. 

Soon  after  passing  Escondidas,  we  began  a  descent, 
which  seemed  absolutely  endless.  Time  after  time  we  thought 
we  had  reached  the  bottom,  only  to  find  that  we  were  on  a 
terrace  from  which  another  drop  led  us  still  further  down. 
On  and  on  into  this  bottomless  pit  we  descended  to  Zira- 
cuaretaro,  a  striking  town.  Banana  plantings  surrounded 
the  houses;  orange-trees  covered  with  their  golden  spheres 
reared  themselves  to  the  unusual  height  of  thirty  feet  or 
more;  mameys,  with  their  strange  nut-brown  fruits,  and 
coffee-trees,  loaded  to  breaking,  were  abundant.  Amid 
this  luxuriant  mass  of  tropical  vegetation,  houses  were 
almost  invisible  until  we  were  directly  in  front  of  them. 
Notwithstanding  the  enormous  descent  we  had  made,  it 
appeared  to  us,  when  we  crossed  the  stream  and  began  the 
ascent,  that  we  had  not  really  been  to  the  bottom  of  the 
great  valley.  For  a  long  distance  we  mounted  through  a 
district  of  sugar-canes;  then  passed  a  little  settlement  of 
rude  huts  spread  out  over  a  reddish  space;  then,  by  a  gentle 
but  circuitous  ascent,  to  a  rugged  trail  which  brought  us  to 
the  summit  and  the  edge  of  the  great  slope  to  Uruapan.  At 
the  further  side  of  the  valley  and  to  our  left,  in  a  mass  of 
green,  we  saw  smoke  rising  from  the  factories  of  Uruapan. 
Crossing  one  of  the  characteristic  bridges  of  the  district, 
with  a  pretty  shingled  roof  —  four-sloped  like  those  of  the 
houses  —  over  it,  and  with  benches  at  the  sides,  where 
passers  can  sit  and  rest,  while  looking  at  the  dashing,  gurg- 


78 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ling,  foaming,  water  below, —  we  followed  a  level  road 
between  blackberries,  wild  roses,  and  other  shrubs,  to 
Uruapan. 

No  town  in  Mexico  is  more  beautiful.  Perpetual  spring 
reigns.  Although  several  thousand  feet  above  sea  level, 
it  is  so  situated,  with  reference  to  mountain  slopes  and  fun- 
nel valleys,  that  it  has  a  genial  climate,  where  plants  flourish 
which  are  usually  found  only  at  lower  altitudes.  Its  fruits 
and  "the  finest  coffee  in  the  world"  have  rendered  the 
town  long  famous.  The  houses,  bowered  in  dense  groves 
of  green,  are  of  the  picturesque  Tarascan  type.  The  four- 
sloped  roofs,  now  covered  with  long,  narrow  shingles,  now 
with  the  dull  red  tiles,  suggest  the  prettiest  pictures  in 
Japanese  towns.  The  streets  are  clean.  Through  the  centre 
of  the  town  dashes  a  mountain  stream  of  clearest  water, 
with  the  hue  of  sapphire.  This  pretty  stream  furnishes 
power  for  mills,  factories  and  lighting-plant,  and  is  crossed 
several  times  by  picturesque,  roofed  bridges,  in  the  shelter 
of  which  one  may  spend  hours  in  watching  the  dashing 
water,  foaming  cascades,  curious  potholes  worn  in  the  rocky 
banks,  and  the  passing  indians.  Most  Mexican  towns  are 
contented  with  one  plaza;  this  one  has  three,  following 
each  other  closely,  separated  only  by  single  lines  of  narrow 
buildings.  They  are  neatly  planted,  and  supplied  with 
bandstand  and  monuments.  The  town  is  electric-lighted 
and  several  hotels  had  been  lately  put  in  readiness  to 
receive  the  crowd  of  visitors  expected  with  the  completion 
of  the  railroad,  a  matter  of  a  few  months  later. 

The  prefecto  of  Uruapan  and  jefe  politico  of  the  district 
is  the  son-in-law  of  Governor  Mercado,  and  to  him  we  bore 
a  special  letter  from  his  father-in-law.  The  old  gentleman 
had  been  insistent  that  we  should  return  by  Capacuaro  and 
Cheran,  indian  towns.  He  said  that  at  the  former  we 
should  find  a  mogote  (mound  or  heap  of  stones  and  dirt) 


TO  URUAPAN  BEFORE  THE  RAILROAD  79 


which  every  traveler  should  see,  while  at  the  latter  Lum- 
holtz  had  secured  some  skulls  of  exceptional  interest,  and 
that  we  should  do  the  same.  As  our  time  was  short,  we 
asked  the  prejecto  to  send  a  messenger  to  Cheran  with 
orders  to  dig  some  skulls  and  have  them  ready  against  the 
time  of  our  arrival.  That  official  expressed  delight  in  doing 
our  bidding,  and  we  saw  the  messenger  summoned  and  the 
order  placed  in  his  hands,  with  full  direction  as  to  its  delivery. 

Meantime,  there  were  objects  of  interest  for  us  in  Urua- 
pan  itself.  The  town  is  famous  for  its  lacquer  work,  made 
with  aje,  like  that  of  Chiapa.  Gourds  are  ornamented, 
fruit-forms  are  colored  after  nature,  bowls  made  from  fruit 
shells  are  elaborately  decorated,  all  quite  like  the  Chiapa 
work.  What  is  characteristic  of  Uruapan  are  the  placques 
and  table-tops  of  wood,  decorated  with  floral  designs  in 
brilliant  colors,  upon  a  background  of  dark-green,  pink, 
blue,  yellow,  or  black.  This  art  is  in  the  hands  of  a  few 
persons,  some  pure  indians.  Visiting  them,  we  found  the 
wooden  placques  and  table-tops  are  brought  from  one 
of  the  mountain  villages  of  the  Tarascans;  they  are  first 
covered  thickly  with  the  background  color;  upon  this  the 
pattern  is  pencilled  and  then  cut  out  in  the  lacquered  sur- 
face; the  color,  mixed  with  oil  and  aje,  as  with  other  sub- 
stances, is  then  applied  with  the  finger-tips  to  fill  the  cut 
patterns;  the  lustre  is  then  brought  out  by  careful  rub- 
bing. The  work  is  striking,  and  is  prized  throughout  the 
Republic. 

In  the  same  quarter  of  the  town,  where  this  local  in- 
dustry is  carried  on,  are  many  goitrous  persons.  The  dis- 
ease seems  to  be  confined  to  the  one  district,  but  there  per- 
haps one-half  the  people  have  it,  most  of  them  to  but  a 
slight  degree.  Occasionally  the  swelling  is  notable,  and  in 
the  families  affected  we  find,  as  usual,  deaf-mutism. 

On  the  morning  of  New  Year's  day,  we  left  for  Capa- 


8o 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


cuaro  and  Cheran.  As  we  rode  out  from  the  city,  we  were 
more  than  ever  impressed  with  its  verdant  beauty  and 
picturesqueness.  The  road  to  Capacuaro  was  unexpect- 
edly level  and  good,  and  we  reached  the  town,  which  is 
purely  indian,  by  nine  o'clock.  Women,  almost  without 
exception,  wore  the  native  dress.  Goitres  were  common, 
and  some,  among  the  men,  were  really  enormous.  Riding 
through  the  long  town,  we  drew  up  before  the  house  of  the 
jeje  de  policia  (chief  of  police),  and  summoned  the  village 
officials.  On  their  appearance  we  found  that  all  but  the 
jeje  himself,  were  drunk,  the  secretario  in  particular  being 
almost  useless.  When  we  handed  him  the  letter  from  the 
prejecto  he  was  quite  unable  to  make  aught  of  its  grandi- 
loquence. Having  looked  it  through  in  a  dazed  way,  he 
declared  that  we  were  "gringos,"  "like  the  one  who  was 
here  last  year"  (presumably  Lumholtz).  With  some 
severity,  I  told  him  he  did  wrong  to  call  visitors  to  the  town 
by  the  opprobrious  name  of  gringos,  and  ordered  him  to 
read  the  letter  and  make  known  its  contents  to  the  jeje. 
He  made  another  effort  and  then  helplessly  said — "Who 
can  make  anything  of  such  a  letter?  It  is  in  their  idionia." 
Sternly  pointing  to  the  signature  I  said  —  "The  letter  is 
from  your  prejecto  and  written  in  his  idioma;  you  see  the 
firnia."  Helplessly  shaking  his  head,  he  said,  "Oh, 
yes,  the  firma  is  that  of  Silvano  Martinez,  but  the  letter 
is  in  your  idioma"  Seeing  that  he  was  of  no  earthly  use, 
I  took  the  letter  from  him,  and,  turning  to  the  crowd 
which  had  gathered,  rebuked  them  for  their  drunkenness, 
asserting  that  it  was  disgraceful  for  a  whole  town  govern- 
ment to  be  intoxicated  at  the  same  time;  that  some  one 
ought  always  to  be  sober  enough  to  attend  to  business;  that 
we  had  been  insulted  by  being  called  gringos,  and  that  our 
order  had  not  been  read  to  them  because  the  secretario 
was  too  drunk  to  do  his  business;  that  there  were  two  ways 


TO  URUAPAN  BEFORE  THE  RAILROAD  81 


of  dealing  with  such  town  governments,  and  that,  unless 
something  was  done  promptly,  we  would  see  how  they 
would  like  to  go  back  with  us  to  Uruapan,  whence  we  had 
come.  The  jefe,  who  was  really  not  drunk,  thereupon 
begged  to  know  what  we  desired,  and  the  drunken  secretario 
was  somewhat  frightened;  the  remainder  of  the  official 
body  expressed  a  wish  to  do  only  what  we  wanted.  I  then 
read  the  prefecto's  letter  in  my  best  manner  and  added  that 
we  had  come  to  Capacuaro  only  at  the  desire  of  the  gover- 
nor himself,  to  visit  their  mogote,  and  that  we  ought  to  wait 
no  longer  for  guidance.  At  once  all  was  commotion  and 
bustle.  Bidding  the  disgraced  secretario  go  to  his  house 
and  stay  there,  the  jefe  de  policia  summoned  the  rest  of  his 
company  about  him,  seized  his  staff  of  office,  buckled  on 
his  great  machete,  and  took  the  lead;  three  policemen,  with 
their  machetes,  followed;  two  others,  unarmed,  followed, 
and,  with  this  escort,  we  started  to  hunt  our  ruins  on  the 
mountain.  They  proved  to  be  two  heaps  of  rubbish,  from 
constructions  of  stone.  Had  we  had  time  for  serious  inves- 
tigation they  might  have  proved  of  interest;  as  it  was,  we 
spent  but  a  few  minutes  in  their  inspection,  and  then,  bid- 
ding our  drunken  escort  good-bye,  we  continued  our  jour- 
ney. We  had  planned  to  go  first  to  Nehuatzen,  thence  to 
Parracho,  and,  after  visiting  Cheran,  back  again  to  Nehuat- 
zen. At  the  mogote,  however,  we  were  already  near  the 
Parracho  highway  and  at  once  struck  into  it.  Our  journey 
led  through  forests,  chiefly  of  pine,  with  open  glades,  at 
intervals;  on  many  of  the  trees  we  saw  great  bunches  of 
a  parasite  that  bore  honeysuckle-like,  yellow  flowers. 
Parracho  we  found  lying  at  the  base  of  mountains  at  the 
very  end  of  a  long  stretch  of  level.  It  is  an  unattractive 
town,  our  only  reason  for  visiting  which  was  to  see  some- 
thing of  the  manufacture  of  its  famous  rebozos,  which  differ 
from  others  in  the  wide  border  of  white  and  azure  blue  silk, 


82 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


which  is  attached  to  a  netted  foundation  to  form  decorative 
patterns,  representing  birds  and  animals,  or  geometric 
figures.  The  work  is  curious,  and  I  am  inclined  to  see  in  it 
a  surviving  imitation  of  the  ancient  feather-work  for  which 
the  ancient  Tarascans  were  famous.  From  Parracho  our 
road  led  through  Aranza  to  Cheran.  Just  beyond  Aranza 
we  passed  over  the  astonishing  wash  from  some  summer 
torrent.  During  the  wet  season  a  single  rain  may  fill  the 
gorges,  sheet  the  mountain  slopes  with  water,  tear  great 
trees  from  their  hold,  break  off  mighty  rock  fragments  and 
carry  them  onward,  like  wooden  blocks,  with  hundreds 
of  tons  of  finer  gravel.  At  this  season  there  was  not  a  sign 
of  water;  not  a  trickling  thread  was  visible  in  any  of  the 
gorges;  but  from  their  now  dried  mouths  there  spread  fan 
shaped  deposits  many  rods  in  length  and  breadth,  contain- 
ing quantities  of  blocks  of  rock  that  measured  from  four  to 
ten  feet  in  diameter,  trunks  of  trees  up  to  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness, all  in  the  greatest  confusion  and  at  places  completely 
covering  our  road  to  a  depth  of  several  feet.  We  could 
trace  the  tailing  out  of  the  fans  of  deposit,  from  their  thicker, 
heavier  part  at  the  base  of  the  torrent,  to  their  margin  on 
the  plain;  from  heavy  rock  masses  weighing  tons,  through 
smaller  masses,  into  sand  and  gravel. 

The  way  to  Cheran  seemed  endless,  but  at  last  we 
reached  that  interesting,  great  indian  town,  when  the 
afternoon  was  nearly  spent.  It  was  the  New  Year,  and 
the  street  celebration  of  los  negritos  (the  negroes  —  or 
the  little  negroes)  was  in  progress.  As  we  rode  through 
the  streets,  however,  we  attracted  much  attention  and  the 
performance  was  neglected.  We  rode  directly  to  the  town 
house,  entered  and  asked  for  the  presidente.  He  was  slow 
in  appearing  and  long  before  he  arrived  scores  of  people 
were  crowding  around  the  doors  and  windows  to  see  us 
and  know  our  business.    When  he  arrived,  we  greeted  him 


TO  URUAPAN  BEFORE  THE  RAILROAD  83 


in  a  most  friendly  way  and  told  him  that  we  had  come  for 
the  skulls.  He  looked  aghast.  "The  skulls,  what  skulls, 
sir?  "  "The  skulls  the  prejecto  ordered  you  to  dig  for  us." 
By  this  time,  the  crowd  outside,  which  had  increased  with 
every  minute,  showed  uneasiness.  The  presidente  declared 
he  knew  nothing  of  any  skulls.  After  we  had  explained 
the  matter  more  fully,  he  assured  us  that  no  messenger  had 
come  from  the  prejecto)  this,  which  at  first  we  thought  to 
be  a  lie,  was  no  doubt  true.  He  was  plainly  scared.  He 
begged  us  to  be  careful  lest  the  people,  who  were  ignorant, 
should  overhear  us.  He  told  us  that  a  year  before  Don 
Carlos  (Lumholtz)  had  been  there ;  that  he,  too,  had  wanted 
skulls,  and  that  the  town  officials  had  given  him  permission 
to  dig  some  from  the  graveyard;  that  this  caused  so  much 
excitement  and  so  many  threats  that  the  permission  had 
to  be  revoked.  He  feared  the  people  had  already  heard 
our  wishes  and  were  even  then  in  an  ugly  mood  —  a  thing 
which  seemed  likely  from  an  inspection  of  the  faces  in  the 
doorway  and  windows.  He  said,  however,  that  Don 
Carlos  afterward  secured  some  skulls  from  an  ancient  burial- 
place  not  distant  from  the  village,  and,  if  we  pleased  to  wait 
in  Cheran  through  the  morrow,  as  it  was  now  too  late,  five 
in  the  evening,  to  do  aught,  he  would  gladly  show  us  the 
burial  place  of  the  ancients,  where  no  doubt  abundant 
skulls  could  be  secured.  Not  yet  certain  that  the  man  was 
telling  truth,  we  spoke  to  him  severely,  saying  that  we  should 
report  him  to  the  governor  for  not  having  obeyed  the  order 
of  the  prejecto.  At  the  same  time  we  demanded  an  official 
document  signed  by  himself  as  presidente,  and  by  the  sec- 
retario,  and  duly  sealed,  stating  that  no  messenger  had  come 
to  him  from  the  prejecto.  To  our  surprise  this  document 
was  promptly  furnished,  good  evidence  that  the  prejecto 
had  played  us  false,  only  pretending  to  despatch  the  mes- 
senger whom  we  had  seen  started. 


84 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


With  profuse  apologies  and  expressions  of  regret  from 
the  officials,  we  left  Cheran,  hurrying  on  to  Nehuatzen  for 
the  night.  Our  chief  reason  for  doing  so  was  that  every- 
one who  knew  of  our  intention  to  visit  Cheran  had  shaken 
their  heads,  remarking  "Ah!  there  the  nights  are  always 
cold."  Certainly,  if  it  is  colder  there  than  at  Nehuatzen,  we 
would  prefer  the  frigid  zone  outright.  Nehuatzen  is  famous 
as  the  town  where  the  canoes  for  Lake  Patzcuaro  are  made. 
We  had  difficulty  in  securing  food  and  a  place  to  sleep. 
The  room  in  which  we  were  expected  to  slumber  was  hung 
with  an  extensive  wardrobe  of  female  garments.  These 
we  added  to  the  blankets  we  carried  with  us,  but  suffered 
all  night  long  from  the  penetrating  cold.  The  two  indian 
boys,  who  accompanied  us  as  guides  and  carriers,  slept  in 
the  corridor  outside  our  door  and  when  day  broke  they  were 
so  cramped  and  numbed  and  stiff  with  cold,  that  they 
lighted  matches  and  thrust  their  cold  hands  into  the  flames, 
before  they  could  move  their  ringer- joints.  We  had  planned 
to  leave  at  five,  but  it  was  too  cold  to  ride  until  the  sun 
should  be  an  hour  high,  so  finally  we  left  at  seven.  There 
was  heavy  frost  on  everything;  curved  frost  crystals  pro- 
truded from  the  soil,  and  we  broke  ice  a  half  inch  thick  in 
water-troughs,  unfinished  canoes,  by  the  roadside. 

For  ten  hours  we  rode,  without  even  stopping  for  lunch, 
through  Sabina  and  Pichataro,  San  Juan  Tumbio  and 
Ajuno,  back  to  comfortable  Patzcuaro. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


TLAXCALA 


(1898) 


E  have  always  loved  the  State  of  Tlaxcala  and  its 


*  v  quaint  little  capital  city  of  the  same  name.  For  more 
than  a  dozen  years  its  governor  has  been  Prospero  Cahuan- 
tzi,  a  pure-blood  indian,  whose  native  language  is  Aztec. 
He  is  a  large,  well  built  man,  with  full  face  and  little  black 
eyes  that  are  sunken  deeply  into  the  flesh.  He  is  a  man  of 
some  force  and  energy.  The  population  of  his  little  state, 
the  most  densely  populated  in  the  Republic,  is  almost  en- 
tirely indian,  and  it  at  once  fears,  hates,  and  respects  him. 
Having  made  several  previous  visits  to  the  city,  and  having 
always  been  graciously  received  by  Don  Prospero,  we 
thought  it  hardly  necessary  to  carry  with  us  our  usual  letters 
of  recommendation  from  the  Federal  authorities. 

Just  before  we  were  ready  to  visit  Tlaxcala,  while  we 
were  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  we  learned  that  Governor  Cahu- 
antzi  was  there,  on  business.  We  thought  it  best  to  call 
upon  him,  explaining  our  proposed  work  and  asking  his 
interest.  So  to  the  Hotel  Sanz,  where  he  always  stops  when 
in  the  Capital,  we  went.  We  called  twice  without  finding 
him  and  our  third  call  appeared  to  be  as  unsuccessful,  but 
just  as  we  were  leaving,  resolved  not  to  try  again,  we  met 
the  governor  alighting  from  his  carriage  at  the  door. 
Intercepting  him,  we  asked  a  moment's  interview,  which 
was  granted,  though  with  ill  grace.  It  was  plain  that  he 
was  sadly  out  of  humor.  Apologizing  to  him  for  our  intru- 
sion at  so  late  an  hour  and  so  immediately  after  his  return 


86 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


to  his  hotel,  we  told  him  of  our  projected  visit,  described 
the  measurements,  photographs  and  other  data  we  were 
gathering,  reminding  him  that  two  years  earlier  he  had 
heard  our  plans  and  promised  his  assistance.  In  a  some- 
what gentler  mood,  he  told  us  we  might  visit  Tlaxcala  and 
that  he  would  aid  us,  but  he  must  have  a  little  time  "for 
preparing  the  soil;,,  that  all  his  people  were  indians,  and 
that  our  work  would  necessarily  be  considered  with  sus- 
picion. Upon  our  asking  him  how  much  time  would  be 
needed  "to  prepare  the  soil,"  we  received  no  definite  reply. 
He,  himself,  planned  to  leave  for  home  the  following  morn- 
ing, Friday;  so  we  suggested  that  we  would  go  first  to 
Puebla,  and  reach  his  capital  on  Monday.  He  plainly  con- 
sidered this  somewhat  hasty,  but  grunted  his  assent,  and 
we  left  him,  somewhat  surprised  at  his  unusual  gruffness 
and  lack  of  interest. 

Early  Monday  morning,  we  appeared  upon  the  scene. 
After  breakfast  we  betook  ourselves  to  the  state  palace; 
the  governor  was  already  in  his  reception  room,  but,  instead 
of  being  ushered  promptly  into  his  presence,  as  had  always 
happened  in  our  previous  visits,  we  were  left  to  sit  two  hours 
in  the  outer  office.  Finally,  on  our  displaying  some  impa- 
tience, a  message  was  again  taken  to  his  Excellency,  and 
a  few  minutes  later,  the  jefe  politico  of  the  district  bustled 
past  us  into  the  carefully  guarded  reception  chamber.  He 
did  not  long  remain  there,  and,  on  coming  out  into  the 
office  where  we  were  waiting,  brusquely  asked,  "Are  you 
the  persons  who  want  to  measure  heads?  Well,  they  are 
waiting  for  you  out  there  in  the  corridor;  why  don't  you 
go  to  work?  "  Seizing  our  instruments,  blanks  and  camera, 
we  hurried  to  the  corridor  and  began  operations.  Three 
or  four  were  measured  in  quick  succession;  then,  when  I 
cried,  " Otro"  (another),  the  jefe's  eyes  began  to  bulge.  That 
one  measured,  and  another  called  for,  he  seemed  half-dis- 


TLAXCALA 


87 


tracted;  desperation  seized  him;  as  he  faintly  repeated 
"Otro,"  he  looked  wildly  around  in  search  of  subjects  and 
it  was  plain  that  he  had  not  begun  to  realize  what  demands 
we  planned  to  make  upon  him.  Before  the  noonday  rest, 
we  had  measured  fourteen  subjects,  but  the  jeje's  personal 
interest  had  ceased,  and  he  had  completely  disappeared 
from  the  scene  of  actjon.  When  we  returned  at  three 
o'clock  to  resume  work,  only  the  guards  were  there  to  help 
us.  One  and  another  subject,  invited  to  be  measured, 
showed  no  interest  in  advancing  science.  So,  Mr.  Wilson 
went  to  see  the  jefe  in  his  office;  the  old  man  was  furious 
and  actually  ran  out,  with  the  statement  that  he  had  plenty 
of  his  own  work  to  do.  When  this  scene  had  been  reported, 
it  in  no  wise  increased  the  readiness  of  subjects  to  undergo 
the  operation.  Finding  that  we  were  accomplishing  nothing, 
we  decided  upon  desperate  measures.  Going  to  the  office 
of  the  governor's  private  secretary,  we  insisted  on  his  telling 
the  chief  executive  that  we  were  losing  time,  that  no  one  was 
assisting  us,  that  subjects  were  obdurate  and  stubborn,  and 
that  something  must  be  promptly  done.  We  waited  but 
a  few  minutes.  The  fiat  went  forth;  the  jefe  politico  ap- 
peared, puffing  and  blowing,  and  wildly  excited.  He  was 
closeted  a  moment  with  the  governor.  On  his  reappear- 
ance, we  greeted  him  cordially,  and  told  him  that  the  people 
present  would  not  be  measured  and  indicated  one  particu- 
larly stubborn  subject,  who  was  dealt  with,  promptly,  and 
without  gloves.  The  jefe  remained  long  enough  to  re- 
establish order,  though,  under  his  breath,  he  muttered  curses 
and  threats,  and  expressed  his  feeling  to  any  official,  who 
chanced  to  pass.  He  said  the  business  was  driving  him 
clean  crazy;  that  he  was  doing  what  he  did,  not  for  love 
of  us,  but  from  respect  to  the  orders  of  his  chief.  Having 
set  the  ball  to  rolling,  he  left  us  and  there  were  no  more 
delays. 


88 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


When  the  labor  of  the  day  was  over,  we  stopped  at  the 
jefe's  office  to  inform  him  that  we  should  continue  work 
the  following  day,  and  emphasized  the  fact  that  we  wished 
one  hundred  cases,  and,  as  yet,  had  less  than  half  that  num- 
ber. We  suggested  that  systematic  arrangements  would 
not  only  facilitate  our  labor,  but  would  lessen  his  own  task. 
The  result  was  evident;  on  the  following  day  delegations, 
ordered  by  the  jefe,  and  consisting  of  from  six  to  a  dozen 
persons  each,  began  to  come  in  from  the  outlying  villages. 
This  made  our  work  easy,  indeed.  In  one  respect,  Tlax- 
cala  differs  from  all  the  other  Mexican  states  with  which 
we  are  acquainted.  Most  of  the  people  live  in  very  little 
towns,  which  cluster  around  the  larger  places.  Thus, 
around  the  capital  city,  Tlaxcala,  there  are  some  seventeen 
of  these  small  pueblos. 

Working  at  the  palace,  we  had  secured  almost  no  women 
for  measurement.  Asking  the  advice  of  the  cur  a  in  the 
matter,  he  recommended  that  we  should  go  to  some  one  of 
the  neighboring  indian  villages;  that  he  would  give  us  a 
letter  to  the  juez  and  that,  thus,  we  would  secure  our  sub- 
jects easily.  He  suggested  San  Estevan  and  wrote  the 
promised  letter  to  the  juez  of  that  village.  San  Estevan  is 
a  pretty  village,  near  the  summit  of  some  low  gray  hills  of 
tufa,  behind  which  rises  a  background  of  higher  hills  of  the 
same  material.  The  slope  is  terraced  for  the  houses,  which 
are  all  built  of  adobe  bricks  and  have  flat  roofs.  The 
"three  part  house,"  of  the  ancient  Aztec  type  —  godhouse, 
kitchen,  and  granary  —  is  better  shown  in  this  state  than 
almost  any  other  part  of  the  Republic.  The  granary,  or 
cuezcomate,  is  particularly  characteristic.  It  is  built  of  clay, 
in  the  form  of  a  great  vase  or  urn,  open  at  the  top,  above 
which  is  built  a  little  thatch  to  shed  rain  and  to  protect  the 
contents.  The  cuezcomate  is  often  ten  feet  high.  One  or 
more  of  them  is  found  in  connection  with  every  house. 


TLAXCALA 


89 


The  juez  lived  in  a  comfortable  house  of  two  rooms, 
half  of  which  is  used  at  present  for  the  boy's  school,  of 
which  his  son  is  teacher.  He  received  us  graciously,  and 
was  pleased  to  receive  a  letter  from  the  padre,  though  he 
stated  it  was  not  a  government  order  and  carried  no  actual 
authority;  that  if  the  women  cared  to  be  measured,  well 
and  good,  but  if  not,  no  force  could  be  employed.  The 
appearance  of  the  camera,  however,  interested  him ;  plainly, 
he  desired  to  have  a  family  group  photographed;  he  hinted 
at  this  so  broadly  that,  taking  him  to  one  side,  I  whispered 
that  it  was,  of  course,  impossible  to  take  family  groups  for 
everyone,  but  if  we  secured  the  twenty-five  women  without 
delay,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  we  had  no  more  author- 
itative document  than  a  curd's  letter,  the  group  should  be 
taken.  The  effect  was  immediate.  The  police  were  sum- 
moned and  sent  through  the  village  to  bring  in  women  for 
measurement  and  naught  was  said  about  their  right  of 
refusal. 

When,  toward  evening,  we  returned  from  San  Estevan, 
tired  but  quite  satisfied  with  the  day's  work,  we  found  a 
delegation  of  more  than  a  dozen  men  waiting  for  us  in  the 
plaza.  We  did  not  need  so  large  a  number  to  complete 
our  work,  and  it  was  nearly  dark;  we  would  gladly  have 
dismissed  them  and  run  our  chances  of  securing  others  the 
next  day.  But  neither  they  nor  the  jefe  politico  were  to  be 
bluffed.  So  we  marched  into  the  corridor,  lighted  candles 
and  got  to  work.  When  those  lacking  to  make  our  full 
hundred  had  been  measured,  we  proposed  to  let  the  others 
go,  but  they  were  not  to  be  thus  got  rid  of,  and  insisted  on 
being  measured  as  such  were  the  orders  of  the  governor. 
We  were  not  through  until  long  after  dark,  and  we  were 
ravenously  hungry. 

This  delegation  was  one  of  the  most  attractive,  clean, 
and  intelligent  with  whom  we  had  dealt.    It  was  from  Los 


90 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Reyes,  a  little  town  at  a  distance  of  about  half  a  league. 
It  was  headed  by  the  village  juez.  After  we  had  completed 
the  measuring,  they  stood,  shifting  their  sombreros  from 
hand  to  hand  and  plainly  wishing  to  say  something  further; 
finally,  mustering  courage,  the  juez  and  secretario  advanced 
and  stated  that  it  was  the  town's  desire  to  have  a  picture 
taken  of  the  church,  with  the  saint  and  people  of  the  village 
before  the  door.  Would  it  be  possible  for  us  to  make  the 
picture  and  on  what  conditions  ?  We  replied  that  time  was 
precious  and  that  the  trip,  if  it  involved  a  loss  of  time,  was 
quite  impossible;  but  if  they  supplied  carriers  to  take  the 
instruments  to  and  from  their  village,  and  had  all  ready  before 
seven  in  the  morning,  we  would  make  it.  Delighted,  the 
officials  then  inquired  what  we  would  wish  for  breakfast; 
we  answered  French  bread  and  red  wiite.  When  we  looked 
out  of  our  window,  a  little  before  seven,  we  saw  our  party 
ready  and  waiting.  The  juez,  the  secretario,  and  two 
others  made  the  company.  A  basket,  carefully  carried  by 
one,  was  suspected  to  contain  our  breakfast.  The  burdens 
were  shouldered,  and  we  started  out  in  the  cool,  fresh 
morning  air,  for  the  village,  where  we  arrived  in  about  half 
an  hour.  It  is  a  town  of  less  than  one  hundred  people, 
situated  upon  a  little  mountain,  hidden,  to  one  looking  from 
Tlaxcala,  by  intervening  hills.  We  were  received  in  the 
townhouse,  which  is  a  portion  of  the  old  church  building; 
mass  was  in  progress,  and  we  told  those  who  received  us, 
that  we  had  no  wish  to  interfere  with  their  religious  duties; 
that  those  who  wished,  might  go  to  service.  Most  went, 
but  two  or  three  were  left  as  a  committee  of  entertainment. 
They  took  us  to  a  view-point  from  which  there  was  a  mag- 
nificent valley  to  be  seen.  And,  here,  we  found  one  of  the 
finest  echoes  possible.  Rockets  were  exploded  and  the 
noise  was  echoed  from  hill  to  hill  around  the  great  amphi- 
theatre; it  was  like  a  long  reverberation  of  thunder,  but 


The  Village  and  its  Saint;  Los  Reyes 


TLAXCALA 


91 


it  sank  and  swelled,  sank  and  swelled,  repeatedly,  until  it 
seemed  that  it  would  never  stop.  Service  over,  the  pro- 
cession formed,  and  the  santito  was  brought  out  before  the 
church.  The  townspeople  were  arranged  and  the  view 
taken.  We  were  then  invited  in  to  breakfast,  which  was 
fine.  There  were  plenty  of  French  rolls  and  the  red  wine 
brought  from  town,  and  a  great  heap  of  enchiladas,  fresh 
lettuce  and  eggs.  After  eating,  we  expressed  a  wish  to 
hear  the  village  drum,  a  great  huehuetl.  This  musical 
instrument  is  a  reminder  of  the  olden  times;  it  is  not  found 
everywhere,  but  a  number  of  indian  towns  possess  one, 
which  is  kept  to  be  played  on  festal  occasions.  The  one 
as  Los  Reyes  was  some  three  feet  or  so  in  height,  a  hollow 
cylinder  of  wood  with  a  membrane  stretched  across  the 
upper  end ;  it  was  painted  blue.  A  chair  of  state  was  placed 
for  me  in  the  little  patio.  After  I  was  seated  the  three  musi- 
cians took  their  places, —  one  played  the  great  huehuetl,  a 
second  beat  the  tambour  or  ordinary  drum,  the  third  per- 
formed upon  the  chirimiya,  sl  shrill  wooden  pipe.  It  was 
the  first  time  we  had  really  heard  a  huehuetl.  The  player 
used  two  sticks  with  padded  heads,  beating  with  great  force 
in  excellent  time.  The  booming  of  the  instruments  was 
audible  to  a  great  distance.  The  whole  village  had  gathered, 
and  in  a  mometary  lull  in  the  music,  I  told  the  people  of 
the  ancient  use  of  the  huehuetl;  that  Bernal  Diaz,  in  his 
history  of  the  Conquest  of  Mexico,  tells  us  what  feelings 
filled  the  hearts  of  the  Spaniards,  when  they  heard  the  great 
huehuetl,  in  the  temple  of  the  ancient  city  of  Tenochtitlan ; 
then  it  was  chiefly  beaten  when  human  victims  were  being 
sacrificed  to  the  gods,  and  the  soldiers  knew  that  some  fellow- 
countryman,  or  a  Tlaxcalan  ally,  was  dying.  Never  have 
I  given  a  public  lecture,  that  was  listened  to  with  more 
attention  or  greater  appreciation. 

The  day  we  measured  women  at  San  Estevan,  we  found 


92 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


an  indian  mason  there  at  work,  whom  we  had  measured 
at  Tlaxcala,  and  with  whom,  on  one  occasion,  we  had  some 
conversation.  He  was  disgusted  at  the  conduct  of  the 
women  while  undergoing  measurement,  and  at  evening 
said,  "Sir,  it  is  a  pity  for  you  to  waste  your  time  in  a  town 
like  this;  these  people  are  little  better  than  animals;  in  my 
town  there  is  great  enthusiasm  over  your  work,  and  by 
going  there  you  might  do  your  will  and  find  people  with 
minds,  not  beasts."  There  was  really  no  work  left  to  be 
done,  but  we  desired  to  see  a  town  where  there  was  great 
enthusiasm  over  our  investigations.  Hence,  we  arranged 
with  Ignacio  Cempoalteca  to  visit  his  pueblo  of  San  Nicolas 
Panotla.  Accordingly,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day  when 
we  visited  Los  Reyes,  we  went  across  the  valley  to  Panotla, 
Ignacio  and  an  older  brother,  Jose,  met  us  at  the  hotel, 
where  —  excusing  himself  on  account  of  the  mason- work 
at  San  Estevan,  which  could  not  wait  —  Ignacio  left  us, 
assuring  us  that  Jose  would  do  everything  for  us.  This 
was  quite  true,  and  we  found  Panotla  all  that  it  had  been 
painted. 

Jose  led  us  directly  to  their  home.  The  walls  were 
well  built  of  stone  set  in  adobe  mortar;  they  were  smoothly 
coated  with  a  snowy  plaster;  the  supporting  walls  of  the 
little  terrace  on  which  the  house  was  built  were  also  well 
constructed  and  it  was  with  some  pride  that  Jose  told  us  that 
the  work  had  all  been  done  by  himself  and  Ignacio.  Jose 
is  married  and  has  a  wife  and  three  children;  Ignacio  is 
a  bachelor;  a  younger  brother,  Carmen,  is  also  unmarried 
,  —  he  has  taught  himself  free-hand  and  architectural  draw- 
ing and  showed  us  examples  of  his  work.  The  old  father 
and  mother  own  the  home  and  received  us  hospitably. 
Jose  guided  us  through  the  village,  where  we  photographed 
whatever  took  our  fancy,  entered  houses,  examined  all  that 
interested  us,  and  really  found  enthusiasm  for  our  work 


The  Ancient  Drum — Huehuetl;  Los  Reyes 


Fiesta  at  Cholula;  Day  of  San  Antonio  Abad 


TLAXCALA 


93 


everywhere.  Before  the  churchyard  stands  a  quaint  old  cross 
of  stone,  dated  1728,  upon  which  are  represented  all  the 
symbols  of  Chrises  passion;  a  long  inscription  in  Aztec 
is  cut  into  the  base.  Close  by  the  church,  we  visited  the 
boy's  school,  where  we  found  some  forty  dark-skinned, 
black-eyed,  youngsters,  whose  mother-speech  is  Aztec. 
We  proposed  to  photograph  them,  so  they  were  grouped  out- 
side the  schoolhouse,  but  not  until  a  pair  of  national  flags  and 
the  portrait  of  the  governor,  Prospero  Cahuantzi,  were 
fixed  upon  the  background  wall. 

After  the  picture  had  been  taken,  we  told  the  maestro 
we  would  like  to  hear  the  boys  sing.  It  was  plain  he  did 
not  consider  singing  their  strong  forte,  but  our  wishes  were 
met.  One  boy,  standing,  wielded  the  baton,  beating  time. 
When  the  singing  was  done  with,  the  maestro  said  he  would 
like  us  to  see  the  class  in  arithmetic,  if  we  had  time.  Ac- 
cordingly fourteen  or  fifteen  boys,  from  ten  to  fourteen  years 
of  age,  stepped  out  upon  the  dirt  floor;  we  were  told  that 
they  could  work  examples  in  percentage,  interest,  bonds 
and  mortgages,  discount,  alligation  —  which  did  we  pre- 
fer ?  Truth  to  say,  it  was  so  long  since  we  had  studied  alli- 
gation, that  we  had  really  forgotten  what  it  was,  and  so 
expressed  a  preference  for  it.  "Very  good,  sir,"  said  the 
maestro.  "Will  you  not  propound  a  problem?"  From 
this  quandary  we  escaped  by  stating  that  we  could  not  think 
of  doing  so;  that  we  had  every  confidence  in  his  fairness 
and  that  he  had  better  give  it,  as  the  boys  were  more  accus- 
tomed to  him.  We  have  visited  many  classes  of  the  same 
grade  and  age  in  the  United  States  and  have  never  seen  one 
that  would  surpass  them  in  quickness,  accuracy,  and  clear- 
ness of  explanation.  After  our  trip  through  San  Nicolas 
Panotla,  Jose  took  us  back  to  his  house,  where,  meantime, 
a  dinner  had  been  made  ready. 


94 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Weeks  later,  we  learned  the  probable  reason  of  the 
governors  gruffness,  which  was  in  such  marked  contrast 
to  his  previous  treatment,  that  it  puzzled  us  considerably. 
At  about  the  time  of  our  visit,  a  number  of  wealthy  had- 
enderos,  of  the  State  of  Tlaxcala,  had  been  arrested  for 
counterfeiting  silver  money.  They  were  men  whose  ma- 
guey fields  brought  them  enormous  incomes;  one  would 
suppose  their  legitimate  sources  of  wealth  would  have  con- 
tented them !  But  such  was  not  the  case,  and  they  had  gone 
into  wholesale  counterfeiting.  The  fraudulent  coin  had  long 
been  known  and  diligent  efforts  were  made  to  find  the  crimi- 
nals, efforts  at  last  crowned  with  success.  The  guilt  was  fixed 
without  a  doubt,  the  parties  were  arrested,  tried,  and  sen- 
tenced. Every  attempt  was  made  to  secure  their  pardon, 
in  vain.  Governor  Cahuantzi  is  an  old  friend  of  President 
Diaz,  believed  to  have  great  influence  with  him.  Men  of 
wealth,  interested  in  the  release  and  pardon  of  the  criminals, 
promised  Cahuantzi  ten  thousand  dollars  in  case  of  his 
successful  intercession  with  the  President  in  the  matter. 
These  details,  not  generally  known,  we  received  from  a 
source  respectable  and  trustworthy,  and  we  believe  them 
true.  Anxious  to  gain  the  reward,  and  probably  feeling 
certain  of  his  influence  with  Diaz,  the  old  man  made  the 
journey  to  Mexico.  It  was  the  very  time  when  we  called 
upon  him.  When  we  had  our  interview,  he  had  just  seen 
the  President,  and  it  is  hinted  that,  not  only  did  Don  Por- 
firio  refuse  to  pardon  the  counterfeiters,  but  showed  a  dan- 
gerous inclination  to  investigate  the  reason  of  the  indian 
governor's  intervention.  No  wonder  that  the  old  man  was 
gruff  and  surly  to  his  visitors,  after  the  loss  of  ten  thousand 
dollars  which  he  had  looked  upon  as  certain,  and  with  un- 
certainty as  to  the  final  outcome  of  his  unlucky  business. 


CHAPTER  IX 


ZAMORA  AND  THE  ONCE  PUEBLOS 
(1898) 

T^HE  morning  train  from  Guadalajara  brought  us  to 
Negrete  at  about  two  in  the  afternoon,  and  we  had 
soon  mounted  to  the  top  of  the  clumsy  old  coach,  which 
was  dragged  by  six  horses.  The  road  to  Zamora  runs 
through  a  rich  farming  district.  For  the  greater  part  of 
the  distance  the  road  is  level  and  passes  amidst  great  ha- 
ciendas. The  corn  crop  had  been  abundant  and  carts  were 
constantly  coming  and  going  from  and  to  the  fields.  These 
carts  were  rectangular,  with  side  walls  some  four  or  five 
feet  in  height,  made  of  cornstalks  set  close  together  and 
upright.  All  were  drawn  by  oxen.  Most  of  the  carts  had 
a  light  cross,  made  of  cornstalks,  set  at  the  front  end,  to  pro- 
tect the  load  from  adverse  influences.  Great  numbers  of 
men,  dressed  in  leather  trousers  drawn  over  their  cotton 
drawers,  in  single  file  lined  past  us,  with  great  baskets  full 
of  corn  strapped  on  their  backs.  Here  and  there,  in  the 
cornfields,  groups  of  such  men  were  cutting  the  ripened  ears 
from  the  plants. 

We  now  and  then  met  groups  of  men  bringing  great 
timbers  from  the  mountains  fifty  or  sixty  miles  away. 
These  timbers  were  many  feet  in  length  and  trimmed  to  a 
foot  square;  from  four  to  six  made  a  load.  The  cart  upon 
which  they  were  carried  consisted  of  a  pair  of  wheels  and 
an  axle;  one  end  of  the  timbers  was  attached  to  this,  and 
the  other  was  fastened  to  the  yoke  of  oxen.  It  was  rare 
that  we  met  with  a  single  timber  cart,  as  four  or  five  usually 

95 


96  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 

went  together.  The  drivers  who  were  in  charge  of  them 
were  pure  Tarascans. 

For  a  considerable  distance  a  fine  slope  rose  to  our  left, 
strewn  with  loose  rock  masses,  and  covered  with  a  growth 
which  was  chiefly  pitahaya,  some  of  the  plants  attaining 
the  size  of  grown  trees.  Many  of  them  presented  an  ap- 
pearance which  we  had  not  seen  elsewhere  —  the  tips  and 
upper  part  of  the  upright  branches  being  as  white  as  if 
intentionally  whitewashed;  the  simple  explanation  of  this 
strange  appearance  was  that  the  branches  in  question  had 
served  as  buzzards'  roosts.  Our  journey  of  twenty-five 
miles  was  made  with  two  relays  of  horses.  After  perhaps 
three  hours'  riding,  we  reached  the  Zamora  River,  which  we 
followed  for  some  distance.  From  the  time  when  we  began 
to  follow  this  stream,  our  road  was  almost  a  dead  level.  At 
many  places  along  the  river,  we  saw  a  peculiar  style  of  irri- 
gation machine,  a  great  wooden  scoop  or  spoon  with  long 
handle  swung  between  supporting  poles.  The  instrument  was 
worked  by  a  single  man  and  scooped  up  water  from  the 
river,  throwing  it  upon  the  higher  land  and  into  canals 
which  carried  it  through  the  fields.  Sometimes  two  of 
these  scoops  were  supported  side  by  side  upon  a  single 
frame,  and  were  worked  in  unison  by  two  persons.  At  the 
only  town  of  any  consequence  upon  the  road,  we  found 
numbers  of  interesting  hot  springs  which  might  really  be 
called  geysers.  They  were  scattered  at  intervals  over  the 
flat  mud  plain  for  a  distance  of  a  half  mile  or  more.  We 
could  see  jets  of  steam  of  more  or  less  vigor  rising  from  a 
score  or  so  at  a  time.  At  some  of  these  the  water  really 
boiled,  and  we  saw  it  bubbling  and  tossing  to  a  height  of  a 
foot  or  so  above  the  margin  of  the  spring.  Groups  of  women, 
laughing  and  talking  or  singing  snatches  of  songs,  were 
washing  clothes  at  several  of  these  hot  springs,  and  the  gar- 
ments were  spread  out  over  the  bushes  and  trees  to  dry. 


ZAMORA  AND  THE  ONCE  PUEBLOS  97 


At  one  little  geyser,  bubbling  up  in  the  very  middle  of  the 
road,  as  we  passed  we  saw  a  boy  pelting  the  water  with 
stones  and  mud  in  order  to  make  it  mad  and  see  it  spout. 
The  plain  was  sprinkled  here  and  there  with  thickets  of 
acacia  and  mesquite.  In  the  early  evening  the  breeze 
came  loaded  with  the  fragrance  of  the  golden  balls  of  the 
acacia.  There  was  bright  moonlight,  and  we  could  see  the 
country,  even  after  sunset.  The  latter  portion  of  the  jour- 
ney was  through  low  swampy  ground,  much  of  the  time 
over  causeways. 

There  are  few  towns  in  central  Mexico, -not  on  a  rail- 
road, to  be  compared  with  Zamora.  It  is  large,  clean, 
well  built,  and  presents  an  air  of  unusual  comfort.  The 
main  plaza  is  large,  and  finely  planted  with  palms,  orange- 
trees,  roses  and  flowering  shrubs.  The  orange-trees  were 
in  full  bloom  and  the  air  was  heavy  with  their  odor.  The 
town  is  electric-lighted  and  has  a  good  system  of  waterworks. 
The  great  church,  with  two  slender  towers,  fills  up  the  whole 
of  one  side  of  the  plaza,  while  the  other  three  are  ocupied 
with  business  houses.  The  amount  of  life  in  the  town  at 
night  surprised  us.  Even  after  ten  o'clock,  many  were  on 
the  streets,  and  the  dulce  stands,  caje  tables  and  loto  hall  were 
doing  a  large  business.  Few  towns  in  Mexico  are  so  com- 
pletely under  priestly  influence,  but  few  again  appear  as 
prosperous,  progressive,  and  well-behaved.  Two  distinct 
types  of  houses  predominate,  the  older  and  the  newer. 
The  old  style  house  is  such  as  is  characteristic  of  many  other 
Tarascan  towns,  but  is  here  more  picturesquely  developed 
than  in  most  places.  The  low-sloped,  heavily-tiled  roof 
projects  far  over  the  street  and  is  supported  below  by  pro- 
jecting timbers,  which  are  trimmed  at  the  end  to  give  a 
pleasing  finish.  So  far  do  these  roofs  project  over  the  side- 
walk that  the  water  is  thrown  into  the  middle  of  the  street 
and  the  footpath  below  is  well  sheltered.    The  new  style 


98 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


of  house,  which  is  required  by  the  recent  laws,  has  an  almost 
flat  roof  which  ends  squarely  at  the  sidewalk,  and  from 
which  long  tin  pipes  project  to  throw  the  water  into  the 
streets.  Here,  as  so  frequently,  the  old  fashion  is  at  once 
more  comfortable  and  more  artistic. 

We  spent  the  morning  in  efforts  to  secure  horses,  but 
finally  secured  a  man,  Don  Nabor,  who  agreed  to  accom- 
pany us  with  five  animals.  The  party  consisted  of  myself, 
my  interpreter,  my  plaster- worker,  and  Don  Nabor.  Each 
of  us  was  mounted,  and  a  fifth  horse  carried  the  plaster  and 
other  luggage.  Leaving  at  noon,  we  took  the  long  road 
past  Jacona,  a  little  town  famous  for  its  fruit.  Having 
passed  there,  after  a  long  journey,  we  looked  down  from  the 
height  almost  directly  upon  the  place  whence  we  had  started. 
The  scene  was  of  unusual  beauty  —  the  wide-spreading, 
flat  valley,  with  its  fields  of  wheat  and  clustered  trees,  pre- 
sented a  mass  of  rich  green  coloring,  in  the  midst  of  which 
stood  the  pretty  city.  After  a  long  climb,  we  descended 
into  a  valley  in  which  lies  Tangancicuaro,  a  large  town  with 
a  plaza  full  of  fine,  great  trees,  where  we  ate  at  a  quaint  little 
meson.  From  here  we  pushed  on  to  Chilchota,  the  head  town 
of  the  Once  Pueblos.  From  the  crest,  just  above  the  town, 
we  looked  down  upon  a  level  valley,  green  with  new  wheat. 
Entering  the  town  a  little  after  five,  we  rode  up  to  the  meson 
of  San  Francisco,  near  the  little  plaza.  It  was  with  diffi- 
culty that  we  secured  a  room  containing  a  single  bed,  with 
mattress,  and  two  mats.  There  was  nothing  at  all  to  eat 
at  the  meson,  but  on  strolling  out  to  the  plaza  we  found 
some  indian  women  selling  atole  and  bread.  With  this  we 
were  compelled  to  be  content  until  morning,  paying  seven 
centavos  for  our  four  suppers.  Hunting  up  the  presidente  of 
the  town,  we  found  him  sitting,  with  his  court,  on  benches 
in  the  plaza.  He  was  a  pleasant,  rather  dressy  young  man, 
but  at  once  took  interest  in  our  work,  and  told  us  that 


ZAMORA  AND  THE  ONCE  PUEBLOS  99 


Huancito  was  the  best  town  for  our  bust  work,  as  the 
population  there  is  primitive  and  purely  indian. 

The  Once  Pueblos  —  eleven  towns  —  are  famous  through 
this  portion  of  the  Republic.  Several  of  them  are  purely 
indian;  Chilchota  is  largely  mestizo.  The  towns  lie  in  a 
long  line  on  the  side  of  the  little  valley,  at  the  foot  of 
the  bordering  hills.  Between  some,  spaces  of  considerable 
extent  intervene;  others  are  so  close  together  that,  in  riding 
through  them,  one  sees  no  line  of  separation.  All  consist 
of  adobe  houses,  of  a  rich  brown  color,  roofed  with  tiles. 
Some  of  the  churches  are  of  considerable  size,  but  are  also 
built  of  brown  adobe.  The  Once  Pueblos  are  famous  for 
their  pottery,  and  in  some  of  them  almost  every  house  has 
its  little  kiln  or  oven.  Fruit  is  cultivated,  and  the  houses 
are  frequently  embowered  in  trees;  in  many  yards  are  bee- 
hives. The  valley  is  abundantly  watered  with  little  streams 
of  perfect  clearness. 

The  presidente  had  insisted  that  the  school  teacher  at 
Huancito  would  prove  invaluable.  He  gave  us  a  letter  of 
introduction  to  him,  and  an  order  upon  the  authorities. 
We  were  at  once  given  possession  of  the  schoolhouse  for 
our  work,  and  I  started  out  to  find  a  subject.  Almost  the 
first  person  encountered  was  a  young  man  of  twenty-three 
years,  who  presented  the  pure  Tarascan  type.  I  at  once 
told  him  that  he  was  the  very  man  we  wanted;  that  we 
planned  to  make  a  picture  of  him  in  plaster;  at  the  same 
time,  I  described  the  method  of  work,  and  while  talking, 
holding  him  by  the  arm,  drew  him  over  toward  the  school- 
house.  Almost  before  be  realized  it,  we  were  ready  for  the 
task.  As  he  removed  his  shirt  and  prepared  for  the  opera- 
tion of  oiling  and  the  application  of  the  plaster,  he  looked 
somewhat  sombre.  After  seeing  the  work  well  begun,  I 
stepped  outside  and  sat  in  the  portico  until  it  should  be  done. 
The  first  piece  of  plaster  had  been  applied,  the  subject  had 


ioo  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


been  turned,  and  was  lying  ready  for  the  second  application. 
At  this  moment,  an  indian  maiden,  with  dishevelled  hair, 
came  rapidly  running  across  the  plaza  toward  the  school- 
house.  Rushing  past  me,  she  entered  the  school-room, 
and  seeing  the  subject  lying  on  the  floor  clasped  her  hands 
and  cried,  "Florencito!  My  Florencito,  why  wait  here? 
Stay  not  with  these  cruel  men;  flee  with  me!"  Seizing  him 
by  the  hand,  they  dislodged  the  plaster  from  his  shoulders 
and  started  for  the  door,  but  catching  sight  of  me,  cast  a 
glance  around,  saw  the  open  window,  and  leaping  through 
it,  dashed  off  home.  Up  to  this  time  the  local  authorities 
had  shown  an  interest  in  our  work  and  a  willingness  to  aid. 
Calling  the  chief  of  police,  I  bade  him  and  the  teacher  seek 
our  subject  and  bring  him  back  for  the  completion  of  the 
operation.  "But,  sir,"  said  the  chief  of  police,  "suppose 
he  does  not  wish  to  come  ?  "  "Why  are  you  chief  of  police ? " 
was  my  reply.  The  teacher,  who  is  himself  a  mestizo  and 
despises  the  poor  indians  in  his  charge,  was  loud  in  his 
complaints.  He  vigorously  declared  that  what  these  people 
needed  was  a  second  Cortez,  that  they  had  never  been  prop- 
erly conquered,  and,  with  the  chief  of  police,  he  started  out 
for  the  new  conquest.  After  an  hour  or  more  of  waiting, 
we  saw  them  reappear  with  Florencito.  But  humanity  is 
ever  loath  to  admit  defeat.  As  he  passed  us,  he  grumbled 
that  he  saw  no  good  reason  for  such  a  fuss,  as  he  had  simply 
gone  to  eat  his  breakfast. 

Having  completed  the  work  with  this  subject,  we  sug- 
gested that  others  should  be  brought,  but  met  with  a  prompt 
refusal.  The  judge  and  the  chief  of  police  both  declared 
that  the  people  did  not  wish  to  have  busts  made,  and  that 
they  would  bring  no  more.  In  vain  I  suggested  that  a 
meeting  of  the  townspeople  should  be  called  together  in 
order  that  we  might  address  them  and  explain  the  purpose 
of  our  visit.    It  was  impossible  to  move  the  officials.  Fin- 


ZAMORA  AND  THE  ONCE  PUELBOS  101 


ally  I  told  the  judge  that  I  should  send  a  mounted  messen- 
ger, who  had  accompanied  us  from  the  presidentey  to  Chil- 
chota  to  report  the  failure  of  the  town  officials  to  do  their 
duty.  He  promptly  declared  that  he  was  going  to  Chil- 
chota  himself  to  see  the  presidente  in  the  matter.  Sure 
enough,  when  my  messsenger  was  ready,  he  had  made  his 
preparations,  and  the  two  departed  together  to  present 
the  different  sides  of  the  question.  Neither  returned  until 
we  were  through  for  the  day.  During  the  afternoon  we 
secured  two  more  subjects,  and  by  nightfall  had  three  good 
busts  as  the  result  of  the  day's  labor.  Then  we  faced  new 
difficulties.  Carriers  could  not  be  had  for  love  nor  money. 
What  was  wanted  were  three  men,  one  to  carry  each  bust 
back  to  Chilchota,  where  we  planned  to  spend  the  night. 
Finally,  after  loss  of  time  and  temper,  each  of  us  shouldered 
a  bust  and  rode  back  on  horseback  with  our  trophies. 

We  soon  discovered  that  the  eleven  towns  were  in  a 
ferment  of  excitement.  Most  dreadful  tales  were  rife  with 
regard  to  us  and  our  work.  Some  asserted  that  we  cut  off 
heads  and  hung  them  up  to  dry;  that  in  drying,  they  turned 
white.  Others  reported  that  with  knives,  made  for  the 
purpose,  we  sliced  off  the  ears  of  unfortunate  indians, 
close  to  their  heads.  Still  others  reported  that  we  had  a 
frightful  instrument  which  was  fitted  into  the  nose,  and  by 
means  of  which  we  tore  strips  of  flesh  and  skin  from  the 
face  of  the  subject.  It  was  said,  and  quite  likely  truly,  that 
they  were  arming  in  all  the  houses;  that  machetes,  guns, 
pistols,  and  clubs  were  laid  convenient  to  hand. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  and  we  made  no  attempt  to 
continue  work.  It  was  market-day,  and  indians  from  all 
the  pueblos  had  gathered  in  the  plaza  to  buy  and  sell.  All 
were  pure  in  blood  and  spoke  Tarascan.  Fruits,  sugar- 
cane, corn,  tortillas,  atole,  coffee,  were  the  chief  staples. 
Stocks  of  pottery  were  attractively  displayed.    Two  char- 


102 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


acteristic  wares  are  both  pretty.  Most  typical,  perhaps, 
is  the  black  and  green  ware  which  is  made  into  bowls,  plates, 
mugs,  and  pitchers.  The  clay  of  which  it  is  baked  is 
local  and  dark  brown  in  color;  a  white  earth  applied  to  this, 
on  baking,  gives  rise  to  a  rich  metallic  green  glaze.  Designs 
are  painted  upon  this  in  black.  This  black  and  green  ware 
goes  far  and  wide,  and  everywhere  is  recognized  as  coming 
from  the  Once  Pueblos.  At  Huancito  and  some  other 
pueblos,  they  make  little  canteras  with  a  red  ground  and 
decorative  designs  in  black  and  white.  One  thing,  offered 
in  the  market,  was  new  to  us,  dishes  full  of  ucuares  — 
long,  irregular,  swollen,  dry,  brown  objects  that  looked 
like  stewed  worms  with  thick  and  fleshy  skins.  One  cen- 
tavo  bought  far  more  than  any  person  would  be  likely  to 
eat;  even  after  having  been  stewed  in  sugar,  they  were 
bitter,  and  had  a  foul  smell  that  was  most  unpleasant ;  they 
appeared  to  be  roots  or  tubers  of  some  plant. 

Naturally,  our  work  had  attracted  much  attention  in 
Chilchota.  No  one  of  the  many  dozen  visitors  who  came 
to  see  us  at  the  meson  was  so  profoundly  impressed  as  a  boy 
of  fourteen,  named  Ignacio.  Appearing  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, he  remained  with  us  almost  all  the  hours  of  the  twenty- 
four.  Thinking  that  the  effect  on  the  villagers  might  be 
good,  I  decided  to  ride  in  the  afternoon  through  the  pueblos. 
When  the  presidente  discovered  my  intention,  he  insisted 
upon  supplying  a  mounted  and  armed  escort,  and  at  the 
same  time  gave  me  a  general  letter  to  the  eleven  towns,  in 
which  strict  orders  were  given  that  my  wishes  should  be 
respected,  and  dire  threats  made  in  case  any  one  should 
show  me  aught  but  the  greatest  consideration.  Ignacio 
accompanied  me.  Riding  through  the  towns,  we  passed 
far  enough  beyond  Huancito  to  see  the  most  remote  of  the 
eleven  pueblos.  They  are  separated  somewhat  from  the 
rest,  and  lie  rather  higher  up  in  a  bend  of  the  valley.  Every- 


ZAMORA  AND  THE  ONCE  PUEBLOS  103 


where  I  took  some  pains  to  talk  with  the  people,  to  visit 
their  houses,  to  examine  their  pottery,  their  bees  and  their 
growing  crops,  as  I  felt  that  such  an  interest  would  help 
us  in  our  work.  On  our  return,  Ignacio  told  me  that  he 
should  stay  to  dinner  with  us,  as  he  much  preferred  to  do 
so  to  going  home.  He  also  told  me  that  it  would  be  a  great 
pity  to  lose  the  theatre,  which  was  to  take  place  that  even- 
ing. Accordingly,  after  dinner  was  over,  we  went  to  see 
the  play.  I  expected  that  at  that  season  of  the  year  it  would 
be  a  pastor ela  —  and  in  fact  it  had  been  so  announced.  It 
was,  however,  a  true  drama,  and  one  of  the  funniest  — 
unintentionally  —  imaginable.  The  stage  was  set  in  the 
middle  of  the  patio  of  a  large  house.  The  boy  insisted  that 
we  would  be  late,  and  so  we  went  at  7:15,  although  the  bill 
announced  the  hour  as  8.  The  spectators  brought  their 
own  chairs  with  them.  Except  a  few  youngsters,  no  one 
arrived  before  9,  and  the  curtain  at  last  rose  at  a  quarter 
before  eleven.  Among  the  last  to  arrive  was  the  presidente 
and  his  party.  He  was  resplendent  in  a  cape  of  crimson 
velvet  with  brilliant  yellow  facings.  Hardly  was  his  party 
seated,  when  we  were  politely  invited  to  sit  with  them. 
Three  acts  were  rendered,  and  while  waiting  for  the  fourth, 
one  of  the  party  declared  that  there  would  be  eleven  more. 
This  gave  the  presidente  an  opportunity  to  relate  an  experi- 
ence of  his  own.  On  one  occasion,  after  watching  a  play 
from  seven  in  the  evening  until  four  in  the  morning,  the 
stage  broke  down;  the  management  appeared  and  apolo- 
gized regarding  the  accident,  particularly,  since  some 
twenty  acts  were  still  to  have  been  rendered.  Our  play, 
however,  turned  out  to  have  had  but  eight  acts,  and  one  of 
these  was  omitted.  When  it  should  have  been  given,  the 
whole  troupe  appeared  upon  the  platform;  the  manager 
announced  the  reason  why  the  act  would  not  be  given,  but 
promised  that  on  the  following  Sunday,  in  another  play, 


104 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


an  extra  act  should  be  inserted,  in  order  that  all  might 
receive  the  full  value  of  their  money.  Our  play  ended  at 
one,  when  the  audience  dispersed. 

Needing  but  two  more  subjects,  we  looked  about  Chil- 
chota  the  next  day,  hoping  to  find  indians  from  the 
more  remote  villages,  who  might  permit  their  busts  to  be 
made.  Two  excellent  cases  were  found.  The  last  was  a 
man  from  Carapan,  the  most  remote  of  the  eleven  towns. 
He  was  a  man  of  forty  years,  whose  father  accompanied  him, 
and  both  were  for  a  long  time  dubious  about  the  operation. 
Finally,  however,  consent  was  given  and  the  bust  was 
made.  As  he  arose  and  dressed  to  go,  I  said,  "Did  I  tell 
you  the  truth?  Did  the  operation  hurt  you,  or  did  it  not? 
Was  there  a  reason  why  you  should  not  have  your  bust 
made?  "  He  promptly  answered,  "Sir,  you  told  me  truth; 
the  operation  did  not  hurt  me  and  there  surely  is  no  harm 
in  it;  but,  sir,  you  can  hardly  believe  what  an  excitement 
this  work  has  caused  in  our  town.  Yesterday,  in  the  mar- 
ket-place at  Chilchota,  there  were  more  than  twenty  men 
from  Carapan  who  carried  weapons  in  their  clothing.  We 
had  selected  leaders  and  arranged  signals,  and  at  the  first 
sign  of  an  attack  from  your  party,  we  were  prepared  to  sell 
our  lives  dearly." 

It  was  a  work  of  time  to  fill  the  moulds  and  pack  the 
busts.  Before  we  were  ready  to  start  upon  our  journey,  it 
was  half-past  four  in  the  afternoon.  True  wisdom  would 
have  suggested  waiting  until  morning.  Time,  however, 
was  precious,  and  I  hoped  to  make  Cheran  that  night; 
consequently,  though  against  the  advice  of  many,  we  started 
out,  with  eight  leagues  to  go,  over  a  road  with  a  bad  reputa- 
tion, and  at  some  points  difficult  to  traverse.  For  a  little 
distance,  we  followed  the  familiar  trail  down  through  the 
pueblos,  but  at  Tanaquillo  we  turned  up  into  the  mountain. 
The  ascent  was  steady  until  we  reached  the  pass,  through 


ZAMORA  AND  THE  ONCE  PUEBLOS  105 

which  an  icy  wind  drove  down  upon  us.  We  could  hope 
to  make  the  distance  in  six  hours.  At  first  we  met  many 
persons,  all  of  whom  warned  us  that  we  would  be  late  in 
arriving,  and  recommended  that  we  should  stop  at  Rancho 
Seco.  We  had  no  intention  of  so  doing,  but  knew  that  we 
must  turn  at  that  point  into  a  new  road.  Between  sunset 
and  bright  moonlight,  there  was  an  interval  of  darkness, 
and  in  that  interval  we  must  have  passed  the  turning  which 
led  to  Rancho  Seco.  At  all  events,  we  presently  found  our- 
selves entirely  at  a  loss,  wandering  over  a  rocky  hill  covered 
with  brush,  amid  which  the  trail  had  entirely  disappeared. 
Retracing,  as  well  as  we  could,  our  road,  we  finally  found 
ourselves  upon  another  trail  which  we  followed  until  9:30, 
when  we  met  a  little  band  of  indians,  the  first  whom  we  had 
seen  for  a  long  time.  From  them  we  found  that  we  were 
not  upon  the  road  for  Cheran,  but  at  the  edge  of  a  slope  at 
the  bottom  of  which  was  a  little  indian  town,  Tanaco. 
Descending  to  it,  we  found  a  house  where  they  agreed  to 
shelter  us  for  the  night,  and  in  the  tienda  near  by  we  bought 
hard  bread  and  old  cheese.  We  were  sheltered  in  a  sub- 
stantially built  room,  into  which  the  cold  air  did  not 
penetrate.  The  indians  with  whom  we  were  staying  were 
unusually  intelligent;  a  number  of  books,  including  a  large 
dictionary,  lay  upon  the  table,  and  the  men,  who  crowded 
in  upon  us,  were  anxious  to  learn  the  English  words  for 
common  things.  This  was  an  experience  which  rarely 
happened  to  us  in  indian  Mexico.  The  people,  however, 
were  not  quite  sure  of  our  intentions,  and  Nabor  said  that 
when  he  went  to  water  the  horses,  a  committee  of  village 
folk  waited  upon  him,  asking  whether  we  were  the  party 
of  white  men  who  had  been  skinning  live  indians  over  in 
the  Once  Pueblos. 

There  were  four  leagues  between  us  and  Cheran,  and 
many  more  beyond  it  to  Patzcuaro,  where  we  hoped  to 


io6  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


arrive  the  next  night.  Accordingly,  we  made  an  early 
start.  Our  host  agreed  to  pilot  us  over  the  indistinct  and 
tortuous  bridle-path  to  the  highroad.  Many  little  moun- 
tains, almost  artificially  regular,  arose  in  the  otherwise  plain 
country.  As  we  rode  along  the  trail  we  saw  the  church  of 
Parracho  far  behind  us  in  the  distance.  The  latter  part  of 
the  road,  after  Cheran  was  once  in  sight,  seemed  hopelessly 
long,  but  a  little  before  ten  o'clock  we  pulled  up  at  the 
meson.  We  at  once  made  arangements  for  food  for  our- 
selves and  the  horses,  and  determined  to  rest  until  noon. 
Our  reputation  had  preceded  us.  I  asked  a  child  at  the 
meson  to  bring  me  a  mug  of  water.  When  he  brought  it, 
I  noticed  that  the  mug  was  of  the  characteristic  black  and 
green  ware  of  the  Once  Pueblos,  but  asked  the  boy  where 
it  was  made.  With  a  cunning  look,  he  answered,  "O  yes, 
that  comes  from  where  you  people  have  been, —  up  at  the 
Once  Pueblos."  And  yet  we  had  not  come  over  the  road 
from  the  Once  Pueblos,  but  by  the  main  highway  from 
Parracho. 

Rested  and  refreshed,  we  started  at  12:30  for  the  long 
fourteen  leagues  of  journey.  We  passed  Pichataro,  where 
the  round  paddles  for  Patzcuaro  canoes  are  made,  and 
where  the  applewood,  so  prized  as  material  for  spear-throw- 
ers, is  procured.  We  passed  Sabina,  where  the  canoes 
themselves  are  hollowed  out,  miles  from  their  launching 
place,  to  which  they  must  be  carried  over  mountains.  Each 
town  we  passed  made  me  more  and  more  uneasy,  as  I  knew 
that  Nabor  contemplated  revolt.  He  did  not  like  the  idea 
of  too  long  a  journey  for  his  horses.  He  wished  to  stop 
long  before  the  goal  that  I  had  fixed.  When  we  left  the  last 
of  the  important  towns  behind  us,  I  felt  for  the  first  time 
secure.  It  was  now  dark,  and  we  found  the  roads  far 
worse  than  we  remembered  them.  They  were  worn  into 
deep  gullies,  into  which  our  horses  fell  and  over  which  they 


ZAMORA  AND  THE  ONCE  PUEBLOS  107 


stumbled.  Long  before  reaching  Ajuno  I  felt  convinced 
that  we  had  missed  the  road,  but  we  floundered  on,  and 
never  was  sight  more  welcome  than  the  light  of  fires  shin- 
ing through  the  cane  walls  of  the  wretched  huts  of  that 
miserable  town.  Here  there  was  a  final  council  regarding 
resting  for  the  night.  The  whole  party,  except  myself, 
considered  Ajuno  as  a  capital  resting-place.  All  yielded, 
however,  and  we  continued  on  our  way.  It  was  almost 
midnight  when  we  rode  up  to  the  hotel,  upon  the  plaza  in 
quaint  old  Patzcuaro.  All  were  cross  and  tired;  neither 
crossness  nor  weariness  were  helped  when  we  were  told  that 
there  was  no  room  for  us  at  the  inn.  We  made  such  vigor- 
ous representations,  however,  that  the  doors  were  finally 
thrown  open.  An  old  store-house  was  cleaned  out  and 
supplied  with  decent  beds,  and  a  good  supper  was  served. 


CHAPTER  X 


THE  BOY  WITH  THE  SMILE 
(1898) 

T  T  is  doubtful  whether  the  common  people  of  any  country 
A  are  so  rarely  surprised,  or  taken  unaware,  as  those  of 
Mexico.  At  a  moment's  notice,  the  commonest  indian, 
who  may  have  scarcely  been  outside  of  his  own  town  in  all 
his  life,  may  start  to  go  across  the  country.  Astonishing 
incidents  appear  to  create  no  more  surprise  in  their  minds 
than  the  ordinary  affairs  of  every  day.  In  January,  1898, 
we  revisited  Cholula.  As  we  alighted  from  the  street-car 
we  noticed  a  boy,  some  fourteen  years  old,  whose  most  strik- 
ing characteristic  was  his  smile.  He  wished  to  serve  as 
guide,  to  show  us  the  pyramid,  the  convents,  the  chapel  of 
the  natives.  On  assuring  him  that  we  knew  far  more  about 
the  lions  of  his  town  than  he,  he  was  in  no  wise  abashed, 
but  joined  himself  to  us  for  the  remainder  of  the  day.  He 
accompanied  us  to  see  the  blessing  of  the  animals  in  the  great 
churchyard.  He  displayed  an  interesting  knowledge  of 
English,  answering  "yes"  quite  perfectly  to  every  sort  of 
question,  and  repeating  the  two  words,  wThich  are  well  known 
the  whole  world  over  as  American-English,  on  all  conceiv- 
able occasions.  When  at  evening  he  saw  us  safely  on  the 
street-car  he  left  us  with  the  same  smile  with  which  he  had 
received  us.  On  our  next  visit  to  Cholula  much  the  same 
thing  happened,  but  learning  that  we  planned  to  stop  at 
Cuauhtlantzinco  on  our  way  to  Puebla,  he  stole  a  ride  upon 
the  car,  for  the  sake  of  accompanying  us.    He  was  a  rather 

handy  boy,  good-natured  and  anxious  to  please,  so  that, 

108 


THE  BOY  WITH  THE  SMILE 


later  in  our  journey,  we  hired  him  for  several  days  and  let 
him  do  what  he  could  to  help  us. 

Much  later,  when  at  home  planning  the  details  of  our 
next  extensive  journey,  the  thought  struck  us  that  it  might 
be  well  to  make  the  boy  with  the  smile  a  member  of  our 
party.  It  seemed  as  if,  in  going  into  districts  rarely  visited 
by  strangers,  it  would  be  well  to  have  the  party  as  largely 
Mexican  as  possible.  If,  however,  the  boy  were  to  accom- 
pany us,  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  first  learn  some- 
thing of  our  work  and  needs,  and  perhaps  of  English. 
Accordingly,  I  decided  to  go  to  Cholula  and  bring  the  boy 
up  to  the  States. 

The  resolution  was  so  hastily  taken  that  there  was  no 
time  to  send  word  to  the  boy  himself,  Going  straight  to 
Cholula,  I  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  his  abode.  I 
knew  that  the  boy  had  no  father,  that  his  widowed  mother 
had  but  one  other  child,  a  girl  younger  than  the  boy  him- 
self. I  had  once  seen  the  mother  and  the  little  sister;  I 
also  knew  the  street  on  which  they  lived.  Arriving  at  the 
street,  however,  no  one  apparently  had  ever  heard  of  the 
boy.  One  and  another  through  the  whole  length  of  the 
street  was  questioned,  but  none  knew  his  name  or  recog- 
nized his  description.  Excepting  that  I  knew  that  trait  of 
Mexican  character  which  assists  acquaintances  to  seclu- 
sion, when  they  are  sought  by  strangers,  I  should  have 
despaired.  As  it  was,  I  kept  on  asking,  and  finally,  from 
a  child  who  could  hardly  speak  on  account  of  youth,  I  dis- 
covered the  house  which  I  sought.  It  was  a  little  hut  set 
back  behind  a  yard  of  growing  corn.  I  had  inquired  at  the 
houses  on  either  side  and  at  the  house  across  the  road,  as 
also  of  a  man  working  in  the  corn  in  the  yard  itself.  But 
everyone  had  been  profoundly  ignorant  of  the  boy's  exis- 
tence. Walking  up  to  the  house,  I  found  the  door  open, 
and  the  mother  and  the  little  girl  within.    The  moment 


no  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 

the  woman  saw  me,  she  said,  "Que  milagro,  Smor!"  (What 
a  miracle,  sir!)  and  rising,  gave  me  a  warm  embrace.  The 
little  girl  did  the  same.  "And  where  is  Manuel ?"  I  in- 
quired. "Ah,  sir,  he  has  gone  to  Puebla  on  an  errand  for 
a  gentleman;  but  he  will  be  back  on  the  street-car  at  half 
past  ten.    Pray  wait,  sir,  till  he  comes.,, 

The  house  consisted,  like  most  of  its  class,  of  a  single 
room.  The  walls  were  built  of  sun-dried  bricks  of  adobe. 
Entrance  was  by  a  single  door.  There  were  no  windows. 
The  floor  was  clay.  The  flat  roof  was  scarcely  six  feet 
above  the  floor.  The  furniture,  though  ample,  was  scanty. 
A  little  earthen  brazier  for  heating  and  cooking,  a  stone 
metate,  a  rubbing-stone  for  grinding  corn-meal,  a  table 
heaped  with  bundles  and  boxes  containing  the  family  cloth- 
ing, and  a  chair  were  all.  There  were  no  beds,  not  even  the 
mats  which  so  frequently,  among  the  poor  of  Mexico,  take 
their  place.  Several  pictures  of  saints  and  of  the  virgin  were 
pinned  against  the  wall,  and  there  were  signs  of  tapers 
which  had  been  burned  before  them.  A  bird  or  two  in 
wooden  cages,  a  rooster  and  a  little  dog  lived  in  the  house 
with  the  family. 

After  answering  various  questions  from  the  good  woman 
and  the  little  girl,  I  finally  stated  that  I  proposed  to  take 
Manuel  with  me  to  my  country.  He  would  stay  with  me 
there  for  six  months,  after  which  he  would  come  back  and 
accompany  me  for  three  months  longer  on  a  journey  into 
southern  Mexico.  "If  I  have  your  consent,"  I  said,  "we 
leave  to-day."  Immediately  the  woman  answered,  "Sir, 
it  is  for  you  to  say."  Just  then,  however,  the  little  girl, 
Dolores,  began  to  cry.  "Tut,  tut,  Dolores,"  said  I,  "I  am 
sure  you  want  Manuel  to  go  away  and  visit  a  strange  coun 
try  and  have  a  fine  time;  and  think  of  the  pictures  that  he 
can  bring  you  to  show  what  he  has  seen.  And  more  than 
that,  it  is  already  half-past  ten,  and  you  shall  go  down  to 


THE  BOY  WITH  THE  SMILE  m 

the  street-car  to  meet  him,  and  tell  him  that  he  must  come 
straight  home,  for  fear  that  he  will  loiter  on  the  way;  but 
do  not  tell  him  I  am  here,  nor  say  anything  about  his  going 
away,  for  we  wish  to  surprise  him."  Drying  her  eyes,  and 
smiling  almost  as  the  boy  himself,  Dolores  started  to  run 
to  the  street-car  line,  and  presently  fetched  Manuel  home 
in  triumph.  As  he  entered  and  saw  me,  he  said,  "Que 
milagro,  Seizor"  and  kissed  my  hand.  Having  asked,  as 
Mexican  politeness  requires,  a  variety  of  questions  about 
his  welfare,  I  finally  said,  "Well,  Manuel,  how  would  you 
like  to  go  to  Puebla  with  me  for  the  day?  "  "Sir,  it  is  for 
you  to  say."  "Very  good,"  said  I.  "And  if  I  should  con- 
clude that  it  was  best  to  take  you  to  Mexico  for  a  few  days, 
what  would  you  say  to  that?"  "I  am  entirely  in  your 
hands,  sir,"  he  replied,  "to  do  your  orders."  "Well," 
said  I,  "suppose  I  took  you  to  my  own  country  and  kept 
you  there  for  six  months?  "  and  the  boy  replied,  "Sir,  you 
are  my  owner;  it  is  for  you  to  command."  "Very  well," 
said  I,  "get  ready,  and  we  will  go  on  the  street-car,  at  twelve 
o'clock,  to  Puebla." 

Telling  his  mother  that  she  should  put  together  the  few 
articles  of  which  there  might  be  need,  we  started  for  the 
noonday  car.  As  we  left,  I  suggested  that  she  and  the  little 
girl  come  to  the  city,  during  the  afternoon  or  evening,  to  bid 
the  boy  good-bye,  as  we  should  leave  on  an  early  train  the 
following  morning.  They  came  at  nightfall.  She  had  his 
small  possessions  tied  up  in  a  carrying  cloth,  and  her  mind 
was  stored  with  bits  of  excellent  advice  and  admonition  as 
to  his  conduct  and  behaviour  in  his  new  surroundings. 
After  Dolores  and  her  brother  had  given  each  other  a 
farewell  embrace,  the  mother  said  a  few  words  to  the  boy, 
who  knelt  upon  the  floor  of  the  room  and  crossed  his  hands 
upon  his  breast.  The  mother  then  gave  him  her  parting 
blessing,  and  sent  him  forth  into  the  outside  world. 


CHAPTER  XI 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 
(1898) 

/^\F  all  railroad  cities  in  the  Republic,  Oaxaca  is  the 
most  completely  indian.  It  is  the  capital  of  a  state 
the  population  of  which  is  nine-tenths  of  native  blood.  Fif- 
teen native  languages  are  spoken  in  the  state  to-day.  While 
some  of  these  are  related  to  each  other,  they  are  distinct 
languages,  not  dialects,  even  those  which  are  related  being 
as  unlike  as  the  French,  Italian,  and  Spanish.  The  indians 
commonly  seen  on  the  city  streets  are  Zapotecs  or  Mixtecs, 
but  at  times  Mixes  come  from  their  distant  mountain  homes 
with  burdens  on  their  backs,  or  parties  of  Tehuantepecanas 
attract  attention,  by  their  fine  forms  and  striking  dress,  as 
they  walk  through  the  streets.  The  market  is  crowded, 
even  late  in  the  day;  ox-carts  from  the  indian  towns  for 
miles  around  are  constantly  seen  in  the  streets.  Most  of 
the  sellers  in  the  market  are  indians;  they  bring  fruits 
and  vegetables,  dried  fish  from  the  Pacific,  jicaras  and 
strainers  of  gourds,  beautifully  painted  and  polished  gourds 
from  Ocotopec,  honey,  sugar  —  both  the  crude  brown  and 
the  refined  yellow  cakes  —  and  pottery.  The  indian  pot- 
tery here  sold  is  famous.  Three  kinds  of  wares  are  well 
known  —  a  dull  plain  red,  an  unglazed  but  highly  polished 
black,  and  a  brilliant  glazed  green.  The  black  ware  is 
made  into  useful  vessels,  and  also  into  a  variety  of  toys, 
chiefly  whistles  and  bells.  Pottery  would  seem  to  be  one 
of  the  least  suitable  materials  for  bells.    Here,  however, 

bells  of  pottery  in  many  shapes  are  found  —  little  bells, 

112 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA  113 

with  handles  like  the  upper  part  of  a  human  figure;  larger 
bells,  with  curious  flat  handles  set  transversely;  others,  still 
larger,  like  cow- bells  in  size  and  tone,  and  curious  cross- 
shaped  bells,  really  a  group  of  four  united.  Among  the 
whistles  some  are  made  into  the  shape  of  animals  and  birds 
and  curious  human  figures;  among  the  latter,  some  closely 
resemble  ancient  whistles  from  the  prehistoric  graves. 
This  black  ware  is  made  at  Coyotepec,  and  when  the  ob- 
jects are  first  taken  from  the  kiln  they  are  almost  white; 
before  they  are  cold,  they  are  exposed  to  dense  smoke,  and 
thus  assume  their  black  color.  The  brilliantly  glazed 
green  ware  is  the  most  attractive.  Vessels  made  from  it 
are  thin,  and,  in  the  parts  which  are  unglazed,  resemble 
common  flower-pot  ware.  The  larger  portion  of  their 
surfaces,  however,  is  covered  with  a  rich,  thick,  emerald- 
green  glaze.  Cups,  bowls,  saucers,  plates,  sugar-bowls, 
tea-pots,  flasks,  and  censers  are  among  the  forms  commonly 
made  in  this  ware.  The  shapes  are  often  graceful  and  the 
prices  low.  Most  beautiful,  however,  and  relatively  ex- 
pensive, are  the  miniature  vessels  made  in  this  ware  — 
scarcely  an  inch  in  height,  but  formed  with  the  greatest 
care,  and  in  such  variety  of  dainty  forms  that  one  may  seek 
some  time  to  duplicate  a  piece  which  he  has  found;  these 
little  pieces  are  completely  covered  with  the  rich  green  glaze 
both  outside  and  inside. 

Our  plan  of  journey  for  the  year  was  first  to  make  an 
expedition  from  Oaxaca  to  the  north-west,  into  the  Mixteca 
Alta;  returning  to  Oaxaca,  to  strike  eastward  by  way  of 
Mitla,  and  the  land  of  the  Mixes,  to  Tehuantepec,  from 
which  place  we  should  make  a  brief  trip  to  the  Juaves; 
returning  to  Tehuantepec,  we  should  take  the  high  road,  by 
way  of  San  Carlos,  back  to  Oaxaca.  Our  first  duty  in  the 
city  of  Oaxaca  was  to  procure  letters  and  orders  from  the 
governor.    No  governor  in  Mexico  more  completely  real- 


il4 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


izes  his  importance  and  dignity  than  Governor  Gonzaies  of 
Oaxaca.  It  is  ever  difficult  to  secure  an  audience  with  him ; 
appointment  after  appointment  is  made,  only  to  be  broken 
when  the  inquiring  visitor  presents  himself,  and  has  been 
kept  waiting  an  undue  length  of  time.  We  had  been 
through  the  experience  before,  and  therefore  were  not  sur- 
prised that  it  required  four  visits,  each  of  them  appointed 
by  the  governor  himself,  before  we  really  had  our  inter- 
view. Governor  Gonzales,  is,  however,  an  excellent  officer. 
While  we  were  waiting  for  our  letters,  after  having  explained 
to  him  our  errand  and  plan  of  procedure,  we  had  the  oppor- 
tunity to  see  a  somewhat  unusual  and  interesting  sight. 
Like  all  public  buildings  and  better-grade  houses  in  Mexican 
cities,  the  governor's  palace  is  built  about  patios,  or  inner 
courts.  A  wide  balcony  surrounds  the  court  at  the  level 
of  the  second  story  and  upon  it  the  rooms  of  that  story 
open.  Having  given  orders  that  our  letters  should  be  pre- 
pared, the  governor  excused  himself  for  a  few  moments, 
as  he  said  that  certain  of  his  local  authorities  were  ordered 
to  meet  him.  We  were  seated  where  we  could  watch  the 
reception.  As  we  had  entered  the  palace  we  had  been  im- 
pressed by  the  great  number  of  indians,  carrying  official 
staves,  who  were  waiting  near  the  door.  We  now  found 
that  they  were  official  delegates  from  the  different  towns, 
and  that  they  had  been  sent  from  their  homes  to  give  the 
governor  New  Year's  greetings.  Having  carefully  arrayed 
himself  for  the  meeting,  the  governor  took  his  position  in 
the  wide  balcony  already  referred  to,  with  two  officials  of 
the  palace  stationed  near,  one  on  either  side.  The  indians 
represented  perhaps  twenty-five  different  towns,  the  dele- 
gation from  each  town  varying  from  three  or  four  to  fifteen 
or  twenty  persons.  All  were  dressed  in  their  cleanest  gar- 
ments, and  all  carried  their  long  staves  of  office,  most  of 
which  had  ribbons  of  bright  colors  streaming  from  them. 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA  115 

The  secretary  of  the  governor  arranged  these  delegations 
in  their  order,  and  they  were  presented  one  by  one  to  the 
chief  executive.  As  each  delegation  was  presented,  its 
members  scraped  and  bowed,  and  the  presidente  and  sec- 
retario  kissed  the  governor's  hand.  A  word  or  two  of 
greeting  having  been  exchanged,  the  spokesman  from  the 
village  made  a  speech,  sometimes  read  from  a  written  copy, 
after  which  he  presented  a  bouquet  of  flowers,  real  or  arti 
ficial.  The  governor  received  the  bouquet  with  a  bow, 
placed  the  flowers  on  a  little  table  near  by,  or,  if  the  gift 
were  a  large  bouquet  of  real  flowers,  handed  it  to  one  of  the 
attendants  standing  near,  and  then  made  a  polite  speech  of 
response,  emphasizing  it  with  vigorous  gestures  and  plainly 
expressive  of  much  interest  and  earnestness.  The  dele- 
gation then  took  its  leave,  always  bowing  reverently,  and, 
each  man  kissing  the  governor's  hand  as  he  passed  out. 
As  he  received  this  mark  of  respect,  the  governor  would 
make  a  playful  remark,  or  pat  the  persons  on  the  head,  or 
otherwise  treat  them  as  a  father  might  his  little  children. 
Instantly  the  flowers  were  cleared  away,  the  next  delega- 
tion ushered  in,  and  the  same  ceremony  gone  through  with. 

Finally,  all  was  ready  for  our  leaving.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  five  persons  —  myself,  as  leader,  Mr.  Lang,  my 
American  photographer,  Don  Anselmo,  my  Mexican  plaster- 
worker,  Manuel,  and  the  mozo.  All  but  the  mozo  were 
mounted  on  horses,  more  or  less  good  or  bad.  The  mozo, 
Mariano,  a  Mixtec  indian,  went  on  foot,  carrying  the 
photographic  outfit  on  his  back,  and  our  measuring-rod  in 
his  hand.  It  was  well  on  in  the  afternoon  before  we  started, 
and  hardly  were  we  outside  the  town,  before  Mr.  Lang's 
horse  showed  signs  of  sickness.  His  suffering  was  plain, 
and  every  person  we  met  volunteered  the  information  that 
unless  something  was  done  promptly,  we  should  have  a  dead 
horse  on  our  hands.    Going  to  a  little  shop  on  the  roadside. 


n6 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


where  strong  drinks  were  sold,  we  stopped,  and  after  prepar- 
ing a  remedy  with  the  help  of  a  passing  indian,  threw  the 
horse  down,  wedged  his  mouth  open,  and  gave  him  what 
seemed  to  be  an  unsavory  draught.  More  than  an  hour  was 
lost  out  of  our  already  short  afternoon  by  this  veterinary 
practice,  and  long  before  we  reached  Etla,  where  we  were 
compelled  to  pass  the  night,  it  was  dark. 

Leaving  Etla  in  the  morning,  looking  down  as  we  passed 
out  from  the  city  upon  a  wonderful  group  of  mounds,  we 
passed  rather  slowly  through  the  town  of  Huitzo.  Don 
Anselmo  and  I  loitered,  as  we  found  the  whole  country  to 
be  rich  in  ancient  relics,  examples  of  which  were  to  be  fcund 
in  almost  every  house.  As  the  afternoon  passed,  we  found 
that  we  were  likely  to  be  completely  left  by  our  compan- 
ions, and  were  forced  to  hasten  on.  The  latter  part  of  the 
daylight  ride  was  up  a  continuous,  and  at  times  steep, 
ascent.  As  the  sun  neared  setting,  we  reached  the  summit 
and  found  ourselves  close  by  the  station  of  Las  Sedas,  the 
highest  point  upon  the  Mexican  Southern  Railway.  We 
had  there  expected  to  overtake  the  others  of  our  party,  but 
found  that  they  had  hurried  on.  It  was  a  serious  question 
whether  we  should  try  to  overtake  them.  It  had  been 
wisdom  to  have  stayed  the  night  where  we  were.  In  this 
uncertainty,  we  met  an  indian  boy  driving  mules  toward 
Oaxaca,  who  volunteered  the  information  that  he  had  met 
our  companions,  who  were  just  ahead,  and  that  we  would 
soon  overtake  them.  This  decided  us,  and  we  started  down 
the  trail.  A  heavy  wind  was  blowing,  and  the  night  air  was 
cold  and  penetrating.  In  a  few  minutes  we  met  a  half- 
breed  Mexican,  who,  accosting  us  at  once,  urged  us  to  go 
no  further.  His  manner  was  somewhat  sinister  and  dis- 
agreeable. He  warned  us  that,  if  we  attempted  to  make 
the  descent  in  the  darkness,  we  would  at  least  lame  our  ani- 
mals.   He  asserted  that  our  comrades  were  fully  three 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


117 


leagues  ahead  when  he  had  met  them,  and  that  we  would 
never  overtake  them.  He  also  hinted  darkly  as  to  other 
dangers  of  the  road,  if  we  should  succeed  in  making  the 
descent  without  breaking  the  legs  of  our  horses.  Refusing 
his  invitation  to  stop  with  him  for  the  night,  we  pressed  on- 
ward, and  as  we  did  so,  he  called  out  derisively  after  us. 

The  descent  would  not  have  been  an  easy  one,  even  in 
the  daytime,  and  in  the  gathering  darkness  there  was  really 
an  element  of  danger  in  the  journey.  We  left  the  following 
of  the  trail  almost  entirely  to  our  animals.  We  were  finally 
down  the  worst  of  the  descent  before  night  had  actually 
set  in.  From  here  on,  although  the  road  varied  but  little 
from  a  level  trail,  we  were  obliged  to  go  slowly,  and  it  was 
with  a  feeling  of  true  relief  that,  after  floundering  for  a 
while  in  a  brook  in  which  our  road  seemed  to  lose  itself,  we 
heard  ourselves  called  by  name,  from  an  indian  hut  situated 
a  little  way  up  the  bank.  As  usual,  the  house  consisted 
of  a  single  room,  of  no  great  size,  and  was  lightly  built  of 
cane.  Two  men,  three  women,  a  boy,  and  three  little  girls 
were  the  occupants.  Our  companions  were  already  rest- 
ing; their  horses  were  unsaddled  and  were  eating  content- 
edly, and  we  were  told  that  supper  was  being  prepared  for 
us.  Entering  the  house,  we  found  the  women  busy  making 
tortillas,  and  fresh  goat's  meat,  hanging  from  the  rafters, 
gave  promise  of  a  substantial  meal.  When  all  was  ready, 
we  sat  down  to  the  finest  of  corncakes,  beans,  eggs,  and 
tender  kidmeat.  We  spread  our  blankets  under  a  little 
shelter  which  stood  in  front  of  one  side  of  the  house. 
None  of  us  slept  well.  It  was  very  cold;  dogs  barked  all 
night  long;  now  and  then  a  sudden  outbreak  of  their  bark- 
ing, and  curious  signals  and  whistles,  which  were  repeated 
in  various  parts  of  the  mountain,  gave  us  some  uneasiness. 
At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  just  as  we  were  napping, 
Don  Anselmo  startled  us  by  the  statement  that  our  mule 


u8  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 

was  dead.  In  a  moment,  all  was  excitement.  Mariano 
examined  the  animal  and  reiterated  the  statement.  As 
for  us,  we  were  in  the  mood  to  care  but  little  whether  the 
mule  was  living  or  dead.  Half  frozen  and  very  weary,  our 
frame  of  mind  was  not  a  cheerful  one.  Just  before  day- 
break we  could  stand  the  cold  no  longer,  and  gathering 
some  dry  wood,  we  started  a  fire  and  crowded  around  it. 
The  report  about  the  mule  proved  to  be  false,  and  when 
morning  came,  there  was  no  sign  that  anything  was  the 
matter  with  him. 

It  was  nine  o'clock  before  we  started  on  our  journey 
in  the  morning.  We  had  three  long  hours  of  clambering  up 
and  down  heavy  slopes,  and,  much  of  the  way,  through  a 
stream  the  bed  of  which  was  filled  with  slippery  boulders 
and  pebbles,  over  which  the  horses  slipped  and  stumbled 
frightfully.  Our  horses  slid  down  small  cascades,  but, 
when  we  came  to  larger  ones,  we  had  to  mount  the  banks 
by  ugly  bits  of  road,  descending  below  the  falls.  After 
much  labor  and  weariness,  we  reached  El  Parian  at  noon. 
Having  rested  through  the  hotter  portion  of  the  day,  we  took 
the  road  again  at  two.  We  followed  up  the  brook-bed  to 
the  point  where  another  stream  entered  it,  at  an  acute  angle. 
Up  this  stream  we  turned,  and  after  following  it  a  little, 
struck  suddenly  up  a  steep  hill,  and  then  climbed  on  and  on 
over  a  good  road,  cut  in  the  limestone  rock,  up  and  up, 
until  we  reached  the  very  summit.  The  vegetation  here 
was  a  curious  assemblage, —  palms,  cedars,  oaks,  and  a 
mimosa-like  tree,  formed  the  chief  types.  The  limestone 
rock  upon  the  summit  was  curiously  eroded,  as  if  by  rain 
rills.  The  masses  presented  all  the  appearance  and  de- 
tail of  erosion  shown  by  the  great  mountain  mass  of  the 
country  itself ;  looking  at  one  of  these  little  models,  only  a 
few  feet  across,  and  then  gazing  out  upon  the  great  tangle 
of  mountain  peaks  around  us,  one  could  almost  imagine 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA  119 

that  the  one  was  the  intentional  reproduction  of  the  other, 
in  miniature.  For  a  long  time  we  followed  the  almost  level 
summit;  then  a  little  climb  and  a  slight  descent  brought 
us  to  Huaclilla.  At  the  meson  we  found  real  rooms  and 
true  beds,  and  decided  to  stay  for  the  night.  The  supper 
was  less  attractive.  A  brief  walk  about  the  village  brought  to 
light  two  cases  of  small-pox,  and,  on  returning  to  the  meson, 
we  were  charmed  to  find  a  third  one  in  the  building  itself. 
Still,  we  slept  well,  and  were  up  betimes  next  morning. 
The  country  through  which  we  were  passing  was  Mariano's 
pais  (native  land).  Assuming  that  his  knowledge  was 
adequate,  we  left  our  meson  early,  with  the  intention  of 
breakfasting  at  San  Pedrito,  where  we  were  assured  that 
everything  was  lovely;  we  were  also  told  that  it  was  but  a 
short  distance.  The  road  thither  was  through  a  high  open 
country,  planted  to  wheat  and  oats  and  with  some  maguey. 
The  road  was  discouragingly  long,  but  after  at  least  three 
hours  of  constant  riding,  we  reached  precious  San  Pedrito, 
chiefly  notable  for  the  amount  of  pulque  drunk  there.  It 
was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  succeeded  in  getting 
anything  to  eat;  the  breakfast  was  certainly  worse  than  the 
supper  of  the  preceding  night.  With  the  prevalence  of 
maguey  as  a  cultivated  plant,  the  appearance  of  the  houses 
and  other  buildings  changed,  as  all  of  them  were  thatched 
with  the  broad,  long,  sharp-pointed  leaves  of  the  famous  plant. 
Everyone  in  the  district  carries  tinajas,  or  little  sacks  woven 
from  splints  of  palm.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  we  noticed 
that  many  of  these  had  decorated  patterns  worked  in  black 
splints  on  the  lighter  ground.  The  blackness  of  these 
splints  is  given  by  exposure  to  the  smoke  of  burning  pine. 
Carrying-straps,  also  made  of  palm,  are  used  for  adjusting 
these  tinajas  to  the  back. 

From  San  Pedrito  the  road  is  over  a  soft  rock,  which 
produces,  when  worn,  a  white  glaring  trail.    The  country 


120 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


through  which  we  passed  was  fertile.  Everywhere  were 
fields  of  grain,  wheat,  oats,  and,  as  we  were  descending 
into  the  lower  land,  corn.  The  little  watch-houses  for 
guarding  the  newly-sown  fields  are  a  striking  feature  of  the 
landscape.  In  the  higher  districts  they  were  small,  conical 
or  dome-shaped  structures,  made  of  the  leaves  of  the  ma- 
guey, and  hardly  large  enough  for  a  man  to  lie  down  in. 
Lower  down,  these  were  replaced  by  little  rectangular  huts, 
only  a  few  feet  across,  with  thatched  roofs,  the  whole  con- 
struction being  raised  on  poles  ten  or  twelve  feet  above 
the  ground.  It  was  scarcely  more  than  noonday  when  we 
reached  Nochixtlan,  where  the  jeje  of  the  district  lives. 
Telling  him  that  we  desired  to  visit  Yodocono  and  Tilan- 
tongo,  he  wrote  orders  for  us,  and  charged  some  indians  of 
Tidaa  to  show  us  the  road,  so  far  as  they  were  going.  The 
country  through  which  we  passed  was  a  continuation  of 
that  preceding  Nochixtlan.  The  road  was  nearly  level,  with 
but  slight  ups  and  downs,  until  a  little  before  we  reached 
our  destination,  when  we  had  an  abrupt  up-turn  to  Yodo- 
cono, a  pretty  town  on  the  border  of  a  little  lake,  which  has 
but  recently  appeared,  and  which  covers  an  area  which  a 
few  years  ago  was  occupied  by  cultivated  fields.  Our 
letter  from  the  jeje  introduced  us  to  Don  Macario  Espinola, 
a  mestizo,  owner  of  the  chief  store  in  the  village,  who  showed 
us  gracious  hospitality.  We  were  guests  of  honor.  The 
parlor  was  surrendered  to  our  use ;  the  chairs  were  placed 
in  such  a  way  that,  when  supplied  with  mattress,  sheets, 
and  blankets,  they  made  capital  beds.  Our  meals  were 
good.  Don  Macario,  on  hearing  the  purpose  of  our  visit, 
placed  himself  entirely  at  our  disposition.  Unfortunately,  he 
gained  the  idea  that  the  people  whom  we  wanted  for  meas- 
urement and  photography  were  old  folk,  and  the  most 
astonishing  collection  of  aged  men  and  women  was  sum- 
moned from  every  part  of  the  village  and  surrounding 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


121 


neighborhood,  and  all  had  to  be  measured,  although  the 
measurements  were  afterwards  discarded. 

Leaving  Yodocono  at  ten  the  following  morning,  we 
rode  to  Tilantongo.  Though  assured  that  the  road  was 
over  a  district  as  level  as  a  floor,  we  found  a  good  deal  of 
up-hill  riding.  Tilantongo  itself,  with  2,266  inhabitants, 
is  located  upon  the  further  slope  of  a  hill,  and  but  few 
houses  were  in  sight  until  we  were  actually  in  the  town. 
The  public  buildings  surrounded  a  small  open  space,  in  the 
centre  of  which  is  a  stone  sun-dial.  One  side  of  this  little 
plaza  is  occupied  by  the  schoolhouse;  the  town-house  and 
jail  occupy  the  rear.  The  town  is  built  upon  a  horse- 
shoe-shaped, sloping  ridge,  and  the  church  is  at  the  edge  of 
the  town,  at  one  of  the  very  ends  of  the  horseshoe.  Riding 
to  the  town-house,  we  presented  our  documents  to  the  presi- 
dente,  and  ordered  dinner  for  ourselves  and  food  for  the 
horses.  We  had  letters  to  the  priest,  but  he  was  not  in 
town.  The  schoolhouse  was  placed  at  our  disposal,  and  we 
moved  two  long  benches  close  to  each  other,  side  by  side; 
rush  mats  were  brought,  and  these  we  laid  upon  the  benches, 
and  upon  the  teacher's  table,  for  beds.  Mr.  Lang  and 
Don  Anselmo  took  the  table,  Manuel  and  I  the  benches, 
and  Mariano  had  the  floor.  The  cold  was  so  intense  that 
none  of  us  slept  much.  We  were  astonished,  in  the  middle 
of  the  night,  and  at  intervals  in  the  early  morning,  say  at 
two  or  four  o'clock,  to  hear  snatches  of  songs.  At  first,  we 
imagined  it  might  be  some  religious  festival,  but  on  inquir- 
ing, we  found  that  it  was  nothing  but  bands  of  drunken 
indians  making  night  hideous. 

We  waited  some  time  in  the  morning  before  beginning 
work,  hoping  that  the  cura  might  come  and  assist  us  with 
his  influence.  Finally,  wearying  of  delay,  we  explained 
to  the  presidente  the  work  we  planned  to  do.  We  told  him 
we  must  have  subjects  for  measurement,  photographing 


122 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


and  modeling.  He  showed  no  great  enthusiasm  in  the 
matter.  One  and  another  came  to  be  measured,  if  they 
chose,  but  a  number  entirely  refused.  It  was  plain  that 
something  must  be  done.  Quitting  my  work,  I  sent  orders 
for  the  presidente  to  appear,  and,  after  an  intolerable  delay, 
he  presented  himself.  I  told  him  that  we  were  losing  time; 
that  subjects  were  not  presenting  themselves;  that  some 
of  those  who  did  present  themselves  refused  to  be  meas- 
ured; that  I  wished  a  mozo  at  once  to  carry  a  report  from 
me  to  the  jefe  that  my  wishes  were  not  regarded  by  the 
authorities,  and  that  his  orders  had  no  influence;  that  the 
mozo  must  be  ready  at  once,  as  there  was  no  time  to  lose, 
and  we  should  shortly  leave  his  town  without  accomplish- 
ing our  work.  The  effect  was  instantaneous.  The  official 
air  of  arrogance  disappeared ;  he  replied  quiet  humbly  that 
subjects  should  be  at  once  supplied,  as  rapidly  as  they 
could  be  brought  in.  I  replied,  "Here  are  two  persons 
now  who  have  refused;  why  wait  while  others  shall  be 
brought  ?  "  The  fiat  went  forth,  the  two  obdurate  and 
not  good-humored  victims  were  marched  up.  As  I  meas- 
ured them,  they  whispered  to  me  that  the  presidente  him- 
self had  not  been  measured,  and  begged  that  he  be  ordered 
to  undergo  the  operation.  The  request  was  reasonable, 
and  when  they  were  through,  they  waited  to  see  what  would 
happen.  Great  was  their  delight  when,  turning  to  the 
chief  man  of  the  town,  I  said,  "  It  is  best  for  you  to  be  meas- 
ured next.  It  will  set  a  good  example  to  the  rest,"  and 
without  a  word,  although  I  knew  that  he  had  stated  that  he 
would  not  be  measured,  he  stepped  under  the  rod.  From 
then  on  there  was  no  lack  of  material.  Our  subjects  were 
measured,  photographed  and  modeled  as  rapidly  as  we 
could  do  the  work.  At  noon  the  priest  had  come.  As  he 
passed  where  we  were  working,  he  gave  us  an  extremely 
distant  greeting  and  rode  on  up  to  the  curato.    From  his 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA  123 

castle  he  sent  immediate  complaint  because  our  horses  had 
been  put  into  his  stable  without  his  permission.  I  went 
to  the  good  man's  house  and  found  him  hearing  confessions. 
Leaving  with  him  the  letters  from  the  archbishop  and  the 
jefe,  I  returned  to  my  work,  leaving  word  that  the  horses 
would  have  to  stay  where  they  were,  as  there  was  no  other 
suitable  place  for  their  keeping.  After  a  hard  day's  work, 
the  night  started  veryxold,  and  we  hurried  to  bed  early. 
All  were  sleeping,  but  myself,  when  a  rap  came  at  the  door. 
It  was  a  message  from  the  cura,  begging  us  to  come  to  the 
curato,  where  we  would  be  more  comfortable.  Sending 
back  a  word  of  thanks,  I  stated  that  we  would  be  there  for 
the  following  night. 

The  cura  had  been  away  from  home  for  several  days. 
The  result  was  that,  on  his  return,  his  parishioners  turned 
out  in  force  to  greet  him,  and  hardly  was  he  housed,  when 
a  procession  bearing  gifts  marched  to  the  curato.  In  front 
went  one  bearing  flowers.  Those  who  followed  carried 
*>ome  kind  of  food, —  great  pieces  of  meat,  fowls,  eggs,  corn, 
chilis,  and  other  supplies.  The  following  morning  we  were 
awakened  by  a  great  explosion  of  fire-crackers  and  rockets, 
and  by  pealing  bells,  announcing  the  early  mass.  After  his 
religious  duties  were  performed,  the  padre  came  down  to 
the  plaza  to  watch  our  work  and  use  his  influence  in  our 
behalf.  When  it  was  dinner-time,  he  invited  us  to  go  with 
him  to  that  meal.  We  had  thought  that  the  donation  party 
we  had  witnessed  was  a  generous  one;  after  that  dinner, 
we  had  no  doubt  of  the  matter.  Hardly  had  we  disposed  of 
the  many  good  things  on  the  table  when  the  padre  took  us 
to  a  large  room,  the  parish  schoolhouse,  and  showed  us  the 
arrangements  he  had  made  for  our  comfort.  Four  beds, 
descending  in  grade  of  comfort  from  the  one  for  myself  to 
the  one  for  Manuel,  were  shown  us.  Never  was  a  party 
happier  to  move  from  one  set  of  quarters  to  another. 


I24 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Called  away  the  next  morning  by  his  religious  duties, 
the  priest  left  us  in  charge  of  house  and  household.  The 
work  went  merrily  on  in  the  plaza.  We  quickly  found, 
however,  that  the  town  was  getting  into  a  condition  of  in- 
toxication, and  long  before  noon  every  person  in  the  place 
was  drunk.  At  noon  we  were  waited  upon  by  a  committee, 
representing  the  town,  who  informed  us  that  they  appre- 
ciated the  lofty  honor  which  was  conferred  on  the  place  by 
our  presence,  and  stated  that,  realizing  that  we  had  brought 
with  us  letters  from  the  President  of  the  Republic  and  from 
the  Archbishop  of  the  diocese,  they  desired  not  to  be  lacking 
in  the  respect  due  to  such  distinguished  visitors.  Accord- 
ingly, they  said,  they  had  arranged  for  the  brass  band  to 
discourse  sweet  music  for  us,  while  we  ate  our  dinner.  No 
sooner  was  the  statement  made,  than  preparations  were 
begun.  The  band  stood  around  us  in  a  semicircle,  chiefly 
notable  for  its  unsteadiness  on  its  legs,  and  regaled  us  with 
a  series  of  most  doleful  pieces.  When  word  came  that 
dinner  was  ready  at  the  curato,  the  band  accompanied  us 
to  our  stopping-place.  The  bandmaster  announced  his 
intention  of  personally  serving  us  at  the  table.  At  the  same 
time  orders  were  given  that  the  musicians,  standing  without, 
should  continue  to  play  pieces  throughout  the  repast. 

The  last  day  of  our  stay  at  Tilantongo,  the  padre  stated 
that  it  must  be  interesting  to  see  the  way  in  which  a  parish 
priest,  returning  from  a  visit  to  a  neighboring  town,  is 
received  by  his  parish.  Accordingly,  he  planned  that  a 
picture  should  be  taken  of  himself  on  horseback,  with  all 
the  people  gathered  around  welcoming  him.  Telling  us 
that  he  would  be  ready  when  we  should  have  made  our 
own  preparations  for  this  photographic  effort,  he  waited 
for  our  summons.  We  quickly  found,  however,  that  the 
proposition,  although  hailed  at  first  with  joy,  did  not  create 
great  enthusiasm.    We  recommended  to  the  people  that  they 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA  125 


should  get  ready;  told  the  musicians  that  the  band  should 
be  prepared,  and  that  soon  we  should  send  for  the  padre  to  be 
welcomed.  When  we  finally  succeeded  in  getting  the  matter 
under  way,  and  were  seriously  thinking  of  summoning  the 
reverend  gentleman,  it  was  reported  that  an  old  woman 
had  been  found  dead  in  her  lonely  hut  that  morning,  and 
arrangements  were  at  once  started  for  her  funeral.  In 
vain  we  suggested  that  they  should  wait  until  the  picture 
had  been  made.  Musicians  and  parishioners  alike  dis- 
appeared, going  down  to  the  house  where  the  dead  body 
lay.  The  afternoon  was  passing.  It  would  soon  be  quite 
too  dark  for  a  picture.  Meantime,  the  cura,  having  be- 
come anxious  in  the  matter,  hastened  from  his  house  on 
foot,  to  ask  why  he  had  not  been  sent  for.  On  our  ex- 
plaining that  a  funeral  was  in  progress,  he  was  greatly  out- 
raged. We  pointed  out  the  house  in  front  of  which  the 
funeral  procession  was  now  forming.  He  stood  watching, 
as  the  line  of  mourners  approached.  The  person  who 
had  died  was  an  aged  woman  named  Hilaria.  The  body 
was  borne  upon  a  stretcher,  as  coffins  are  not  much  used 
among  these  people.  The  procession  came  winding  up 
the  high-road,  where  we  stood.  The  band  in  front 
was  playing  mournfully;  next  came  the  bearers,  two  of 
whom,  at  least,  were  sadly  drunk.  The  corpse  was  clad 
in  the  daily  garments  of  the  woman,  and  the  body  sagged 
down  through  gaps  in  the  stretcher;  a  motley  crowd  of 
mourners,  chiefly  women,  some  with  babies  in  their  arms, 
followed.  One  man,  walking  with  the  band  in  front,  car- 
ried a  book  in  his  hand  and  seemed  to  read  the  service,  as 
they  slowly  passed  along.  When  the  procession  had  come 
near  us  and  was  about  to  pass,  the  padre  stopped  it;  ex- 
pressing his  dissatisfaction  at  the  failure  to  arrange  for  the 
photograph  which  he  had  ordered,  he  told  the  bearers  to 
take  the  corpse  out  behind  the  house  and  leave  it  there. 


126 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


They  did  so,  returned,  and  were  arranged  in  a  group  with 
the  padre  in  their  midst,  and  photographed,  after  which  the 
body  was  picked  up  again,  the  procession  was  reformed, 
and  proceeded  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

The  following  morning  at  six  o'clock  we  were  again 
upon  the  road.  We  first  descended  into  the  valley,  passing 
the  miserable  hut  from  whence  the  dead  woman  had  been 
borne.  In  all  the  yards  we  noticed  peach-trees  loaded  with 
their  pink  blossoms.  From  the  deep  and  narrow  valley, 
we  began  to  climb  steadily  upward.  We  passed  along  the 
side  of  a  gorge,  the  bed  of  which  had  all  the  appearance  of 
a  giant  stairway.  Higher  and  higher  we  mounted,  leaving 
San  Juan  Diusi  on  our  right.  Great  masses  of  gray  clouds 
hung  upon  the  summits  of  the  highest  mountain,  their 
lower  line  coming  very  nearly  to  our  level.  The  wind  be- 
ginning to  blow,  the  gray  mass  soon  was  whirled  and  spread 
down  like  a  great  veil  around  us.  We  were  indeed  glad 
when  we  began  to  descend  and  have  a  little  shelter  behind 
us,  against  the  wind,  and  dry  skies  instead  of  damp  clouds 
above  us.  Making  a  sudden  descent,  we  found  ourselves 
in  a  cleared  district,  where  the  only  trees  left  on  the  high 
summits  were  palms,  which  bore  little  round  dates  with 
round  seeds;  these  were  quite  sweet  and  good.  Small 
ranches  were  scattered,  here  and  there,  along  the  road. 
After  another  descent  and  ascent,  we  found  ourselves  in  an 
extensive  forest  of  great  gnarled  oaks,  thickly  covered  with 
tufts  of  air-plants  and  with  orchids.  Many  of  the  latter 
were  in  full  bloom,  forming  masses  of  brilliant  color.  In 
making  the  descent  from  here,  we  found  the  slope  com- 
posed of  slippery  limestone,  with  sharp,  rain-channeled 
surfaces,  where  our  horses  with  great  difficulty  kept  their 
footing.    Soon  after  we  were  down,  we  reached  San  Bartolo. 

This  purely  Mixtec  town  was  a  delightful  spot.  It  is 
large,  and  strung  along  two  or  three  long  straight  streets. 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


127 


The  houses  were  in  yards  completely  filled  with  fruit  trees 
—  chirimoyas,  litnas,  granadas  de  China,  ahuacates  and 
oranges.  Garden-beds  of  spinach,  lettuce,  and  onions 
were  frequent.  The  houses  were  of  poles  set  upright,  with 
thick  thatchings  of  palms.  Bee-hives  in  quantity  were 
seen  at  almost  every  house.  At  Tilantongo  we  had  seen 
but  few  women  in  native  dress.  Here  almost  every  woman 
was  clad  in  native  garments,  many  of  which  were  beau- 
tifully decorated.  The  men  wore  brilliant  sashes,  woven 
in  the  town.  When  we  reached  the  town-house  we  found 
the  doorway  decorated  with  flowers, —  stars  and  rosettes 
made  of  palm.  We  were  well  received,  and  a  capital  dinner 
was  soon  served,  after  which  we  were  escorted  around 
the  town  by  the  authorities,  who  arranged  for  photographing 
everything  that  seemed  to  us  of  interest.  But,  at  three 
o'clock,  we  left  this  pretty  spot.  Again,  we  climbed  much 
of  the  way  over  limestone  roads.  Santo  Domingo,  past 
which  we  journeyed,  is  a  mean  little  town,  with  houses 
much  like  those  of  Tilantongo,  but  of  a  gray  color  instead 
of  reddish-brown.  From  here  we  plunged  downward, 
and  when  we  ascended  again,  followed  along  the  side 
of  a  rock-walled  canon  with  pretty  cascades  and  magnifi- 
cent masses  of  fallen  rock.  The  last  part  of  our  journey 
was  made  by  moonlight,  along  a  brook-side  over  a  road 
which  seemed  quite  endless.  With  some  trouble,  we 
found  the  dilapidated  old  church  and  the  municipal  house; 
we  took  possession  of  the  school,  and  after  a  miserable 
supper,  thoroughly  tired,  lay  down  to  rest  upon  the  benches. 

The  town  —  Magdalena  de  los  Comales  —  is  so  named 
from  the  comales,  or  earthenware  griddles,  made  there. 
Besides  this  characteristic  product,  the  town  makes  a  good 
deal  of  unglazed  but  polished  red  pottery.  The  forms  are 
chiefly  candlesticks,  censers  and  toys.  Much  weaving  of 
palm  is  here  done,  and  the  hats  of  the  place  are  rather 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


famous.  Famous,  too,  are  the  tnantas,  or  women's  dresses, 
of  black  wool,  made  in  long  rectangular  pieces.  The 
common  grade  sells  for  $6.00,  and  in  using  it,  it  is,  like 
indian  dresses  generally,  simply  wrapped  about  the  figure 
and  held  in  place  by  a  sash  or  belt. 

Nowhere  in  our  journey  in  southern  Mexico  had  we  met 
with  the  kind  of  scenery  which  we  encountered  between 
Magdalena  and  Tlaxiaco;  its  whole  character  was  like  that 
of  New  Mexico.  Directly  behind  the  town  was  a  fine  cart- 
road,  worn  in  red  sand  pumice ;  before  the  town  rose  a  mag- 
nificent cliff,  which  had  been  a  landmark  in  our  journey 
of  the  day  before.  The  road  running  up  the  mountain,  over 
gray  and  red  pumice  strata,  was  deeply  worn,  just  like 
the  road  back  of  Cochiti,  New  Mexico.  Here,  too,  were 
the  same  noble  pines  for  forest.  It  was  a  full  hour's 
climb  to  the  summit,  where  we  found  a  pretty  brook  tum- 
bling over  ledge  after  ledge  into  deep  round  basins  of  purest 
water.  A  long  and  rather  gentle  slope  downward  led  to  a 
valley  filled  with  neat  farm-houses  and  cleared  patches. 
Our  last  ascent  brought  us  to  a  mass  of  rounded  hills,  com- 
posed of  brilliant  clays  —  yellow,  brown,  pink,  red  and 
white.  From  among  these  hillocks  Tlaxiaco,  a  magnificent 
picture,  burst  into  view.  It  is  compactly  built;  the  flat- 
topped  houses  are  white  or  blue-tinted;  trees  are  sprinkled 
through  the  town;  the  old  convent,  with  the  two  towers 
of  its  church,  dominates  the  whole  place;  a  pretty  stream 
flows  along  its  border;  and  a  magnificent  range  of  encir- 
cling mountains  hems  it  in  on  all  sides.  The  descent  was 
rapid,  and  we  reached  Tlaxiaco  with  the  morning  but  half 
gone. 

The  jefes  of  the  districts  of  Mexico  are  frequently  men 
of  ability  and  force.  Rarely,  however,  have  we  encountered 
one  so  prompt  and  energetic  as  Javier  Cordova,  then  jefe 
of  the  district  of  Tlaxiaco.    When  he  took  possession  of 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


129 


this  district,  not  long  before,  deeds  of  robbery  along  the 
high-road  were  common.  In  many  portions  of  the  district, 
acts  of  violence  were  quite  the  rule.  Perhaps  the  largest 
agricultural  district  in  the  Republic,  it  possessed  few  of  the 
conveniences  of  modern  life.  Under  Cordova's  admin- 
istration, vast  improvements  have  been  made.  The  roads 
are  secure,  deeds  of  violence  are  rare,  the  advantages  of  the 
district  are  being  rapidly  developed,  telephone  and  tele- 
graph have  been  introduced,  and  a  railroad  is  talked  of. 
Although  we  had  no  letter  from  the  governor  addressed  to 
Senor  Cordova,  when  we  showed  him  the  communications 
for  other  jefes,  we  were  received  with  the  greatest  courtesy 
and  everything  was  done  to  facilitate  our  work.  We  told 
him  that  we  planned  to  visit  the  Triquis  at  Chicahuastla. 
He  at  once  wrote  letters  to  the  town  authorities  and  to  Don 
Guillermo  Murcio,  living  at  that  village.  The  plaster  for 
our  bust-making  had  not  yet  been  received,  but  Senor  Cor- 
dova promised,  in  case  it  came,  to  forward  it  after  us  prompt 
ly,  and,  in  case  it  did  not  come,  to  send  twenty  miles  into  the 
mountains  for  the  raw  plaster,  which  he  would  have  pre- 
pared and  sent  on  to  Chicahuastla.  It  was  late  in  the  after- 
noon, before  we  started  for  Cuquila,  where  we  planned  to 
pass  the  night.  It  was  a  mistake  to  make  so  late  a  start. 
For  a  time,  the  road  was  fairly  level,  but  at  last  we  went  up 
a  brisk  ascent,  reaching  the  summit  near  sunset.  The 
road  down  would  have  been  a  bad  one,  even  in  the  day- 
time. As  it  was,  if  we  had  not  had  a  good  moon,  we  could 
hardly  have  made  the  descent.  From  the  depth  of  the 
canon  we  ascended  to  Cuquila,  thoroughly  tired,  some- 
what before  seven.  It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that 
we  could  find  anyone  of  whom  to  ask  our  way  to  the  town- 
house.  Our  voices  were  sufficient  to  plunge  any  house 
into  instant  darkness  and  silence.  After  a  long  search,  we 
found  a  man  who  agreed  to  seek  the  presidente.    He  and 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  rest  of  the  town  officials  finally  met  us  on  the  road,  and, 
after  reading  our  order,  took  us  to  the  town-house.  It  was 
with  difficulty  that  we  got  fodder  for  our  horses.  It  was 
only  after  persistent  and  dire  threats,  that  we  secured  food 
for  ourselves,  and  firewood  to  make  the  room,  in  which  we 
were  to  sleep,  endurable.  It  was  long  past  eleven  before 
we  were  through  our  troubles  and  lay  down  on  mats  to 
sleep. 

Though  we  had  warned  the  town  officials  that  we  should 
leave  at  seven,  and  must  have  breakfast  before  we  left,  when 
we  arose,  we  found  no  steps  whatever  taken  for  our  accom- 
modation. Yet  the  town  officials  had  been  up  long  enough 
to  be  thoroughly  affected  by  their  early  morning  drinks. 
Feeling  that  patience  had  ceased  to  be  a  virtue,  we  sum- 
moned the  authorities,  and  told  the  presidente  that  he  had 
paid  no  attention  whatever  to  his  je}e's  order;  that  we  had 
had  far  too  much  difficulty  in  securing  the  bad  accommo- 
dations we  had  been  furnished;  that  their  promise  to  pre- 
pare a  suitable  breakfast  had  been  completely  disregarded. 
We  told  them  that  our  duty  was  to  send  immediate  com- 
plaint to  Tlaxiaco;  that  we  would,  however,  give  them  one 
more  chance.  We  should  not  stop  for  breakfast,  but  would 
proceed  upon  our  journey  hungry;  if,  however,  we  sent  him 
further  orders  regarding  our  return  journey,  we  should 
expect  them  obeyed  to  the  very  letter.  With  this  we  mounted. 

In  vain  the  presidente  and  officials  begged  us  to  wait, 
promising  that  everything  should  be  prepared.  Time  was 
too  precious,  and  away  we  rode. 

Soon  after  leaving  Cuquila  we  struck  a  fifty-minute 
mountain,  the  summit  of  which  we  made  at  nine  o'clock 
exactly.  Here  we  sat  in  the  shade  and  lunched  on  bread 
and  pineapples,  bought  the  day  before  in  Tlaxiaco.  From 
the  summit,  there  was  a  slow  and  gentle  descent  around  that 
ridge,  and  then  a  slow  incline  along  an  endless  ravine,  until 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


at  last  we  came  out  upon  a  crest,  from  which  we  looked 
down  upon  one  of  the  grandest  mountain  scenes  of  the 
world.  A  valley  of  impressive  size,  surrounded  by  mag- 
nificent mountain  masses,  lay  below  us,  and  just  to  the 
right,  at  our  feet,  was  Chicahuastla.  Few  people  in  Mexico 
are  so  little  known  as  the  Triquis.  Orozco  y  Berra,  usually 
a  good  authority,  locates  them  near  Tehuantepec,  in 
the  low  country.  The  towns  which  he  calls  Triqui  are 
Chontal;  the  five  true  Triqui  towns  are  in  the  high  Mix- 
teca.  The  largest  is  the  town  which  we  were  now  ap- 
proaching. The  Triquis  are  people  of  small  stature,  dark- 
brown  color,  black  eyes,  aquiline,  but  low  and  rather  broad 
nose;  they  are  among  the  most  conservative,  suspicious 
and  superstitious  of  Mexican  indians.  Most  of  them  dress 
in  native  clothing,  and  all  speak  the  Triqui  and  not  the 
Spanish  language.  As  a  people  they  are  sadly  degraded, 
through  being  exceptionally  addicted  to  drink. 

Don  Guillermo  Murcio  is  a  character.  He  and  his 
family  are  almost  the  only  mestizos  in  the  place.  He  is  a 
hale  and  hearty  blacksmith,  and  has  lived  for  fifteen  years 
in  this  purely  indian  town,  where  he  has  gained  almost 
unbounded  influence  among  the  simple  natives.  His  word 
is  law,  and  the  town-government  trembles  before  his  gaze. 
He  is  impetuous  in  manner,  quick-tempered,  and  on  the 
slightest  suggestion  of  disregard  of  his  commands,  freely 
threatens  jail  or  other  punishment.  He  received  us  cor- 
dially, and  we  lived  at  his  house,  where  we  were  treated  to 
the  best  that  was  available. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  beautiful  location  of 
Chicahuastla.  Its  appearance  is  most  picturesque.  Un- 
like the  indian  towns  in  the  Mixteca  which  we  had  so  far 
visited,  it  has  many  houses  of  circular  form  with  conical 
roof.  It  is  possible  that  this  style  of  construction  is  the 
result  of  African  influence.    At  Chicahuastla  we  were  on 


132 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  very  summit  of  the  great  water-shed,  and  from  it,  when 
the  air  is  clear,  one  may  look  down,  over  a  sea  of  lesser  sum- 
mits and  mountain  ranges,  to  the  waters  of  the  Pacific. 
Along  the  Pacific  coast,  in  the  state  of  Guerrero,  are  whole 
towns  of  Africans,  descendants  of  slaves,  who  build  their 
houses  after  the  circular  pattern,  so  common  throughout 
the  dark  continent.  We  did  not  find  in  the  Triquis  any 
admixture  of  African  blood,  but  it  is  possible  the  mode  of 
house-building  may  have  been  influenced  by  negro  example. 

Our  first  glimpse  of  the  town  suggested  a  veritable  para- 
dise. At  eleven  the  sky  was  clear,  the  sun  almost  tropical, 
the  whole  country  smiled  under  its  warm  beams;  but  at 
two  there  came  a  change.  Fogs,  so  dense  as  to  shut  out 
the  view  of  what  was  across  the  road,  drifted  down  from  the 
summit  on  which  we  had  seen  cloud  masses  forming. 
Deeper  and  deeper,  wetter  and  wetter,  colder  and  colder 
grew  the  mist.  All,  wrapped  in  their  thickest  blankets, 
were  shivering,  crouched  upon  the  ground,  trying  in  vain 
to  keep  themselves  warm.  At  first  we  thought  this  might 
be  a  rare  occasion,  but  were  assured  that  it  is  an  e very-day 
occurrence,  and  from  our  own  experience  of  four  or  five  days, 
we  can  easily  believe  the  statement  to  be  true.  How  any 
people  can  live  in  such  a  spot,  suffering  keenly  twenty  hours 
in  the  day,  simply  for  the  four  hours  of  clear  sunshine  and 
warmth  is  inexplicable;  and  the  nights  were  torments! 
Don  Guillermo's  house  is  well  built  of  logs  and  plaster,  but 
no  house  could  keep  out  that  bitter  cold  night  air  which 
chilled  us,  as  we  lay  in  bed,  until  we  could  hardly  move. 

We  have  already  stated  that  the  people  of  Chicahuastla 
are  conservative  and  superstitious.  Our  operations  of 
measuring,  photographing  and  bust-making  filled  the 
town  with  alarm  and  concern.  It  was  hard  enough  to  get 
our  male  subjects;  the  women  were  yet  more  difficult.  At 
first  we  failed  to  secure  any,  but  after  we  had  several  times 


Don  Guillermo  and  his  Family;  Chicahuastla 


Group  of  Triquis;  Chicahuastla 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


133 


told  the  town  officials  that  twenty-five  women  must  be 
forthcoming  for  measurement,  and  Don  Guillermo  had 
stormed  and  threatened,  the  town -government  began  to 
plan  a  mode  of  carrying  out  our  wishes.  Close  by  Don 
Guillermo's  house  was  the  miserable  little  village  plaza, 
where  the  women1  of  the  town  assembled  with  corn-cakes 
and  other  articles  for  trade.  There,  they  met  the  travelling 
peddlers  coming  from  Tlaxiaco,  from  Cuquila  and  the 
coast,  and  drove  their  bargains,  mostly  a  matter  of  trade, 
not  purchase,  with  them.  Waiting  at  the  place  where  we 
were  working,  until  one  or  two  women  were  to  be  seen  in 
the  plaza,  the  town  officials  separated,  going  in  two  direc- 
tions. In  a  few  minutes  an  anxious  watcher,  from  our 
point  of  view,  might  have  seen  a  gradually  contracting 
circle  of  men  surrounding  the  plaza.  Usually  at  the  same 
time  that  this  circle  was  evident  to  the  watcher,  it  became 
also  evident  to  the  women.  With  cries  of  terror,  the  poor 
creatures  would  start  off  as  fast  as  their  legs  would  carry 
them,  over  the  mountain  trails,  with  the  whole  town 
government,  sixteen  strong,  in  pursuit,  with  yells  and 
screams.  It  was  like  nothing  but  the  chase  of  deer  by 
hounds.  Usually,  the  women,  given  strength  by  terror, 
escaped;  but  once  out  of  three  times,  perhaps,  the  officials 
returned  in  triumph  with  their  prisoner  in  their  midst,  who 
was  at  once  measured  and  then,  if  need  be,  photographed. 
In  course  of  time  these  hunts  supplied  the  twenty-five  victims 
desired. 

It  might  not  be  uninteresting  to  describe  the  events  of 
a  single  afternoon  in  a  Triqui  town.  On  one  occasion, 
having  eaten  dinner,  we  had  scarcely  begun  our  work  when 
we  heard  a  great  uproar  and  din  upon  the  road  toward 
Santo  Domingo.  Looking  in  that  direction,  we  saw  a 
crowd  of  men  and  boys  struggling  toward  us.  As  they 
came  nearer,  we  saw  that  six  or  eight  of  the  party  were 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


carrying  some  awkward  and  inconvenient  burden.  It  was 
a  man,  sprawling  face  downward;  two  or  more  held  his 
arms,  an  equal  number  his  legs;  about  his  waist  a  belt, 
knotted  behind,  was  tied,  and  then  through  the  knot  was 
thrust  a  strong  pole,  which  was  being  carried  by  two  men, 
one  on  either  side.  Struggling  against  those  who  carried 
him,  raising  his  face  and  snarling  and  gnashing  at  the  crowd, 
the  prisoner  presented  a  fearful  spectacle.  It  seemed  that, 
being  drunk,  he  had  quarreled  with  his  friend,  whom  he 
had  nearly  murdered  with  his  machete.  About  the  middle 
of  the  afternoon  we  heard  a  loud  crying  in  the  other  direc- 
tion, toward  the  church  and  jail,  and,  on  looking,  saw  com- 
ing toward  us  a  man,  whose  head  was  broken  open  and 
from  it  was  streaming  blood ,  his  head  and  face  were  covered, 
and  his  white  shirt,  to  the  waist  and  even  below,  was  soaked 
with  the  red  fluid.  He  was  wringing  his  hands  and  crying 
in  a  piteous  manner.  When  he  came  to  where  we  stood, 
he  told  his  tale  of  woe.  He  was  the  majordomo  in  charge 
of  the  church  property.  He  had  expected  that  the  priest 
would  make  his  visit  to  the  pueblo  on  that  day,  and  had  so 
announced  it  to  the  people;  the  pious  parishioners  looked 
forward,  with  interest,  to  the  coming  of  the  padre.  When 
the  day  passed,  however,  and  the  priest  failed  to  appear, 
one  of  the  more  religious  felt  so  outraged  that  he  had 
broken  open  the  head  of  the  majordomo  with  a  club,  on 
account  of  his  disappointment.  We  told  the  poor  fellow 
to  go  home  and  let  his  wife  clean  him  up  and  change  his 
clothing,  promising  that,  if  he  died,  his  assailant  should  be 
punished.  That  evening  there  was  a  little  moonlight  at 
Chicuhuastla,  the  only  time  during  our  stay.  As  we  sat 
eating  supper,  we  heard  an  outcry  in  the  direction  of  the 
church  and  jail.  Asking  Don  Guillermo  what  might  be 
the  cause,  he  replied  that  there  was  probably  some  trouble 
at  the  jail.    We  insisted  on  going  to  see  what  might  be 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


*35 


happening.  Don  Guillermo,  the  plaster-worker,  Mariano, 
Manuel  and  I,  seizing  whatever  weapons  were  convenient 
at  hand,  started  for  the  jail.  We  found  an  excited  crowd 
gathered  around  the  doorway.  On  a  log  before  the  door 
there  sat  a  creature  crazy-drunk.  I  have  never  seen  a  case 
more  horrible.  He  screamed,  yelled,  gnashed  his  teeth, 
struck  and  snapped  at  everyone  around.  The  whole  vil- 
lage stood  in  terror.  I  addressed  the  policemen,  who 
seemed  quite  helpless.  "Why  not  thrust  him  into  the 
jail?  Quick!  Seize  him!  In  with  him! "  Encouraged 
by  our  words,  they  seized  him,  the  door  was  quickly  opened, 
and  he  was  cast  into  the  little  room,  which  already  con- 
tained more  than  thirty  persons,  the  harvest  of  a  single 
afternoon.  When  the  door  was  locked,  we  saw  for  the  first 
time  why  the  policemen  had  been  so  timid.  One  of  them 
came  limping  up  to  us,  crying,  and  showed  his  leg.  From 
its  fleshy  part  a  good  mouthful  of  flesh  had  been  cleanly 
bitten  by  the  madman.  The  wound  was  bleeding  pro- 
fusely, and  the  poor  fellow  wrung  his  hands  and  cried  with 
pain. 

We  had  finished  our  measurements  and  photographs, 
but  there  had  been  no  sign  as  yet  of  the  plaster;  concluding 
that  Senor  Cordova  had  forgotten  his  promise,  we  were 
prepared  to  leave  town  early  the  next  morning.  After  dark 
two  men  came  from  Tlaxiaco,  one  of  whom  brought  suffi- 
cient plaster  for  making  two  good  busts.  This  plaster  had 
been  brought,  in  a  crude  state,  twenty  miles  from  the  moun- 
tains to  Tlaxiaco;  had  been  calcined  and  ground  there, 
by  prisoners  in  the  jail,  and  then  sent  fifteen  miles  to  us  over 
the  mountains.  We  were  interested  in  the  men  who  brought 
it.  One  of  them  was  a  prisoner  from  the  Tlaxiaco  jail. 
He  had  been  sentenced  to  ten  days  for  drinking,  and  it  was 
he  who  carried  the  plaster.  The  other  proudly  informed 
us  that  he  was  a  policeman,  and  had  come  to  make  sure  that 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  prisoner  returned.  Thoroughly  delighted  at  their  com- 
ing, we  broke  our  custom  and  gave  the  men  a  trifle.  Alas, 
the  day!  That  very  night  both  men,  policeman  and 
prisoner,  were  thrust  into  the  local  jail,  helplessly  drunk. 

One  evening,  during  our  stay  at  Chicahuastla,  Don 
Guillermo  begged  me  to  go  into  the  kitchen  to  examine  a 
baby,  upon  whom  he  was  thinking  of  performing  a  surgical 
operation.  The  creature  was  a  boy  some  three  months 
old,  pure  indian.  We  had  heard  him  crying  at  night  ever 
since  we  had  come,  but  had  not  seen  him.  A  tumor,  or 
some  growth,  was  on  his  neck,  below  the  chin.  Don  Guil- 
lermo handed  me  the  razor,  in  order  that  I  might  remove 
the  swelling,  but  I  refused  the  task.  The  story  of  the  child 
is  sad.  It  is  the  son  of  a  young  indian  boy  and  girl,  not 
married.  That  would  not  be  a  serious  matter  among  the 
Triquis.  For  some  reason,  however,  the  mother  did  not 
like  the  child,  and  scarcely  was  it  born,  when  she  went  with 
it  into  the  forest;  there  in  a  lonely  place  she  choked  it,  as 
she  thought,  to  death,  and  buried  it  in  the  ground.  The 
town  authorities,  suspecting  something  of  her  purpose,  had 
followed  her  and  were  watching  at  the  moment.  No  sooner 
had  she  left  the  spot  than  they  dug  up  the  child,  found  it 
still  alive,  and  brought  it  to  Don  Guillermo,  who  had  kept 
it  at  the  town's  charge. 

The  last  night  of  our  stay  at  Chicahuastla,  just  after 
supper,  a  cavalcade  came  to  the  door.  It  was  the  jefe  of 
the  next  district  —  Juxtlahuaca  —  with  a  guard  of  s;x 
mounted  men.  Apparently  a  pleasant  fellow,  he  was  it 
the  moment  excited  over  a  recent  disturbance  in  his  distrct. 
In  an  attempt  which  he  had  made  to  adjust  a  certain  diffi- 
culty, he  and  his  guard  had  been  fired  on  and  stones 
thrown  from  the  height  above  them,  by  the  people  of  the 
pueblo.  One  of  his  companions  died  from  the  effect  of 
the  attack.    The  officer  plainly  feared  an  outbreak  or  up- 


At  Work;  Bust  Making 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


rising,  and  was  nervous  and  uneasy,  though  Don  Guil- 
lermo  assured  him  that  in  his  house  there  was  absolutely 
no  danger.  Finally,  we  quieted  down  and  all  went  to  bed, 
we  with  the  intention  of  an  early  start  the  next  morning. 

After  an  uneasy  night,  I  awoke  about  five  o'clock.  Just 
as  I  was  thinking  of  calling  my  companions,  I  felt  a  faint 
trembling,  which  rapidly  increased  to  a  heavy  shaking,  of 
the  house  in  which  we  slept.  There  was  a  moment's 
pause,  and  then  a  second  shaking,  which  began  stronger 
than  the  other,  but  which  lasted  about  the  same  time.  It 
was  the  most  serious  earthquake  shock  we  ever  experienced 
in  Mexico.  Had  the  house  been  made  of  brick  and  plas- 
ter, considerable  damage  might  have  been  done.  Every- 
one was  wide  awake  in  an  instant.  The  whole  town  was 
in  excitement.  The  church-bell  was  rung  and  the  people 
flocked  out  into  the  street.  The  shock  passed  at  exactly 
5 :2o,  and,  in  other  towns,  notably  in  Oaxaca,  it  did  consider- 
able damage. 

Two  days  before,  we  had  sent  word  to  the  authorities 
at  Cuquila,  that  we  should  breakfast  with  them  on  our  way 
back  to  Tlaxiaco,  and  ordered  them  to  be  ready  for  our 
coming.  This  was  the  opportunity  which  had  been  prom- 
ised them  for  redeeming  themselves  and  avoiding  complaint 
to  their  jeje.  Arriving  at  the  town  at  9:40,  we  were  met 
at  the  roadside  by  some  of  the  officials,  who  led  us  at  once 
to  the  town-house.  Here  the  whole  town  government  was 
gathered  to  greet  us;  politely  each  one,  stepping  forward, 
removed  his  hat  and  kissed  my  hand;  they  then  invited 
us  to  sit  down  at  the  table  and  breakfast, —  whereupon 
eggs,  chicken,  tortillas  and  jrijoles  —  the  best  the  town  could 
supply  —  were  set  before  us.  The  whole  government  sat 
by,  looking  on  as  we  ate. 

Immediately  after  breakfast,  in  accordance  with  our 
order  previously  sent,  we  were  taken  to  see  a  potter  at  work. 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Cuquila  is  famous  for  two  lines  of  manufacture,  pottery 
and  woolen  garments.  The  pottery  here  made  is  skill- 
fully shaped  into  wonderfully  large  vessels  of  different  forms. 
The  product  goes  throughout  this  whole  district,  and  even 
down  to  the  Pacific  coast,  a  hundred  miles  distant.  Along 
the  roads  it  is  a  common  thing  to  meet  parties  of  three  or 
four  men  carrying  great  loads  of  water-jars,  large  bowls, 
etc.,  for  sale  or  trade.  While  we  were  inspecting  the  pot- 
ter's work,  a  slight  shock  of  earthquake,  almost  too  gentle 
to  be  noticed,  passed  through  the  place. 

At  Cuquila,  we  found  that  we  should  not  meet  Senor 
Cordova  at  Tlaxiaco.  He  had  passed  through  the  town  the 
night  before,  on  his  way  to  Juxtlahuaca,  with  a  band  of 
soldiers  to  assist  his  neighboring  jefe  in  maintaining  order. 

Leaving  our  Cuquila  reprobates  in  friendly  and  gentle 
mood,  we  started  for  Tlaxiaco,  where  we  arrived  at  half- 
past  two.  Something  after  four  o'clock,  we  heard  a  violent 
ringing  of  the  church-bell  and  saw  the  people  flocking  out 
onto  the  streets;  looking  up  at  the  church- tower,  although 
we  did  not  feel  the  shock,  we  saw  that  the  whole  church  was 
being  violently  shaken,  and  that  the  ringing  bells,  which  we 
had  heard,  were  not  moved  by  human  hands.  This  third 
shock  of  the  day  was  more  strongly  felt  in  other  districts, 
than  with  us.  In  the  City  of  Mexico,  three  hundred  miles 
away,  it  was  the  most  severe  of  the  day. 

The  whole  town  was  in  commotion;  people  threw  them- 
selves upon  their  knees  in  the  streets  and  prayed  to  the 
Virgin  for  protection.  Later  in  the  day,  we  saw  a  priest 
and  a  saint's  figure  passing  through  the  streets,  and  as  they 
passed  the  people  paid  reverence.  Surely  the  little  proces- 
sion, illegal  though  it  was,  must  have  been  successful,  for 
there  were  no  further  shocks.  We  found  here  a  most  inter- 
esting superstition,  which  we  had  not  met  before,  but  which 
we  heard  several  times  later,  in  other  districts.    We  were 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA 


assured  that  the  earthquake  was  but  one  of  many  signs  that 
the  world  was  coming  to  an  end.  We  discovered  that 
thousands  of  the  people  expected  the  ending  of  the  world 
in  1900,  and  when  we  asked  why,  were  reminded  that  this 
was  the  last  year  of  the  century.  This  is  certainly  a  sur- 
vival of  ancient  superstition.  The  old  Mexicans  did  not 
count  their  years  by  hundreds  or  centuries,  as  we  do,  but  by 
cycles  of  52  years  each.  It  was  believed  that  the  world 
would  come  to  an  end  at  the  close  of  a  cycle,  and  impor- 
tant ceremonies  were  conducted  to  avert  such  a  catastro- 
phe. It  is  clear  that  the  old  idea,  of  the  destruction  of  the 
world  at  the  close  of  a  cycle,  has  been  transferred  to  the 
new  mode  of  reckoning  time. 

From  Tlaxiaco  to  Teposcolula,  there  was  a  cart-road, 
though  it  was  possible  that  no  cart  eta  ever  passed  over  it. 
It  presented  little  good  scenery.  We  passed  the  pueblos 
of  San  Martin  Jilmeca,  San  Felipe,  and  San  Miguel.  Just 
before  reaching  the  first  of  these  towns,  the  road  passes  over 
a  coarse  rock  mass,  which  weathers  into  spheroidal  shells. 
At  Jilmeca  and  some  other  points  along  the  day's  route  the 
rock  over  which  we  passed  was  a  white  tufaceous  material 
loaded  with  streaks  of  black  flint.  Sometimes  this  black 
flint  passes  into  chert  and  chalcedony  of  blue  and  purple 
tints.  Here  and  there,  along  the  mountain  sides,  we  caught 
glimpses  of  rock  exposures,  which  looked  snow-white  in 
the  distance.  Between  Jilmeca  and  San  Felipe  there  was 
a  pretty  brook,  with  fine  cypresses  along  the  banks,  and  a 
suspension  bridge  of  great  logs.  Having  passed  through 
San  Felipe  and  San  Miguel,  a  pleasant  road,  through  a 
gorge,  brought  us  to  the  valley  in  which  Teposcolula  lies. 
The  great  convent  church,  historically  interesting,  is  strik- 
ing in  size  and  architecture.  The  priest,  an  excellent  man, 
is  a  pure-blooded  Mixtec  indian,  talking  the  language  as 
his  mother  tongue.    With  great  pride  he  showed  us  about 


140 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  building,  which  was  once  a  grand  Dominican  monas- 
tery. The  old  carved  wooden  cupboard  for  gold  and  silver 
articles,  used  in  the  church  service,  is  fine  work.  The  gold 
and  silver  articles  for  which  it  was  built  have  long  since  dis- 
appeared. In  the  patio  are  many  old  paintings,  most  of 
which  are  badly  damaged,  and  some  of  which  have  been 
repaired  with  pieces  cut  from  other  pictures,  not  at  all  like 
the  missing  piece.  Among  these  pictures  is  a  series  of 
scenes  from  the  life  of  Santo  Domingo.  Of  the  figures  in 
the  church,  two  are  fairly  good;  one,  which  is  famous, 
represents  Our  Lady  of  the  Rosary.  In  a  little  chapel  are 
buried  the  remains  of  the  old  friars;  here  also  is  a  beau- 
tiful old  carved  confessional.  In  front  of  the  old  church 
is  a  great  court  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall,  which  is  sur- 
mounted here  and  there  with  little,  pointed,  square  pillars. 
To  the  right  of  the  church  is  a  mass  of  masonry,  in  reddish- 
brown  freestone,  consisting  of  a  series  of  arches,  now  more 
or  less  in  ruins.  When  the  convent  was  at  the  height  of  its 
splendor,  the  crowd  of  worshippers  was  too  large  for  the 
church  itself,  and  these  beautiful  arches  were  erected  to 
receive  the  overflow.  In  the  church  itself,  the  plaster  in  the 
domes  of  the  towers  and  the  coloring  on  the  walls  and  domes 
had  chipped  and  fallen,  on  account  of  the  earthquake,  the 
day  before.  In  the  ruins  of  the  upper  rooms  of  the  convent 
proper,  stone  and  mortar,  dislodged  from  the  decaying  walls 
by  the  same  shocks,  lay  in  little  heaps  on  the  floor. 

The  cura  had  ten  churches  in  his  charge.  He  says 
there  are  2,000  people  in  Teposcolula,  few  of  whom  are 
indians.  In  his  ten  churches,  he  has  12,000  parishioners. 
He  seemed  a  devout  man,  and  emphasized  the  importance 
of  his  preaching  to  his  congregation  in  their  native  tongue 
and  his.  So  convinced  is  he  that  the  native  idiom  of  the 
people  is  the  shortest  road  to  their  heart  and  understanding, 
that  he  has  prepared  a  catechism  and  Christian  doctrine 


Triqui  Children;  Chicahuastla 


Mixtec  Potter;  Cuquila 


IN  THE  MIXTECA  ALTA  141 

in  the  modern  Mixtec,  which  has  been  printed.  The  town 
itself  is  desolate;  the  plaza  is  much  too  large,  and  dwarfs 
the  buildings  which  surround  it,  and  signs  of  desolation  and 
decay  mark  everything.  With  the  fondness  which  Mexi- 
cans show  for  high-sounding  and  pious  inscriptions,  the 
municipality  has  painted,  upon  the  side  of  the  town-house, 
in  full  sight  for  a  long  distance,  the  words,  "  Nations  to  be 
great  and  free  must  be  educated. "  From  here  to  Noch- 
ixtlan  there  was  nothing  of  special  interest.  For  some  four 
leagues  the  road  was  through  a  gorge;  from  this  valley 
we  mounted  to  the  height,  just  before  reaching  the  town  of 
Tiltepec,  from  which  we  caught  an  extensive  view  down 
over  the  great  valley  in  which  Nochixtlan  and  this  town  lie. 
From  Tiltepec  we  had  a  rather  tiresome,  hot,  and  painful 
ride,  passing  San  Juan  Tillo  and  Santiago  Tillo.  By  half 
past  one  we  were  again  in  the  city  of  Nochixtlan. 


CHAPTER  XII 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


(1899) 


FTER  resting  at  Oaxaca,  from  our  trip  into  the  high 


*  *  Mixteca,  we  made  preparations  for  our  new  journey, 
leaving  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  for  the  land  of  the 
Zapotecs  and  Mixes.  Our  late  start  compelled  stopping 
at  Tule  for  the  night.  In  the  morning  we  went  on  to  Tla- 
colula,  where  we  nooned,  in  order  to  see  the  jefe  in  regard 
to  our  work.  He  is  a  competent  man,  showed  great  inter- 
est in  our  plan,  and  gave  valuable  advice,  in  addition  to  the 
orders  to  his  officials.  He  warned  us  that  we  might  meet 
some  difficulty  at  Milta,  where  we  were  planning  to  make 
our  study  of  the  Zapotecs,  on  account  of  the  fiesta  then  in 
progress.  He  told  us  to  notify  him  at  once  in  case  matters 
did  not  go  well  there. 

The  fiesta  at  Milta  should  have  been  a  three  days' 
affair.  This  year,  however,  it  began  on  Sunday  with  the 
result  that  it  filled  four  days.  Reaching  there  in  the  after- 
noon of  Monday,  we  found  the  whole  town  in  great  excite- 
ment and  dissipation.  The  plaza  had  been  enclosed  with 
a  fencing  of  poles,  and  toros  were  the  amusement  of  the 
afternoon.  The  country  sports  with  bulls  are  different 
from  the  regular  bull-fights  of  the  cities.  Any  one  takes 
part  who  pleases,  and  while  there  is  little  of  trained  skill, 
there  is  often  much  of  fun,  frolic,  and  daring.  The  bull 
is  led  into  the  ring  from  outside  by  a  lasso.  It  is  then  lassoed 
from  behind  and  dragged  up  to  a  post  or  tree,  to  which  it  is 
firmly  tied  to  prevent  its  moving.    A  rope  is  then  tightly 


Typical  Zapotec  House;  Tlacolula 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


cinched  about  its  middle  and  a  man  mounts  upon  the  back 
of  the  beast,  fixing  his  feet  firmly  in  the  rope  below,  between 
it  and  the  animal,  and  winding  his  hands  into  it  above. 
The  ropes  which  hold  the  bull  are  then  withdrawn  so  as  to 
set  it  loose.  Dozens  of  men  and  big  boys,  with  jackets 
and  serapes,  then  torment  the  beast,  which,  plunging  and 
dashing  at  them,  scatters  them  in  every  direction.  Some- 
times the  angry  animal  attempts  to  break  through  the 
fence,  causing  excitement  and  consternation  among  the 
crowds  who  have  been  hanging  to  it  and  looking  over. 
When,  as  sometimes  happens,  he  does  break  through, 
there  is  great  scattering  before  him,  and  closing  in  behind 
him,  until  he  is  again  captured.  The  man  riding  on  the 
bulPs  back  clings  as  long  as  he  can,  in  spite  of  the  plunging 
and  other  frantic  efforts  of  the  animal  to  unseat  him;  com- 
paratively few  stay  long  in  their  uncomfortable  position, 
and  when  they  are  thrown,  much  agility  is  required  to 
escape  from  the  furious  animal. 

As  we  rode  into  town  these  sports  were  in  full  blast; 
everyone,  save  the  bull-fighters,  was  drunk.  Now  and  then 
a  tube  of  iron  filled  with  powder  was  exploded.  A  band 
in  front  of  the  municipal  house  was  supplying  music.  A 
little  group  of  men  with  pitos  and  tambours  strolled  from 
place  to  place,  playing.  Much  selling  was  in  progress  in 
the  booths,  the  chief  articles  offered  being  intoxicating 
drinks.  A  cluster  of  drunken  vocalists,  sitting  flat  upon 
the  ground,  but  almost  unable  to  hold  themselves  upright, 
were  singing  horribly  to  untuned  guitars.  In  front  of  the 
town-house  a  bench  had  been  dragged  out  by  the  authori- 
ties for  the  benefit  of  the  cur  a,  who,  seated  thereon,  was 
watching  the  sports  with  maudlin  gravity.  The  presidente 
and  other  officials  were  standing  by  the  padrey  and  all  were 
drinking  at  frequent  intervals.  Thinking  the  moment 
opportune,  I  approached  the  party  and  handed  them  my 


144 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


documents;  but  both  presidente  and  priest  were  far  too 
drunk  to  realize  my  needs.  Surveying  the  drunken  town, 
I  felt  that  it  was  necessary  to  act  promptly  and  firmly  if  we 
were  to  accomplish  anything  before  the  -fiesta  ended.  The 
only  member  of  the  government  who  was  not  extremely 
drunk  that  afternoon  was  the  sindico.  Calling  him  to 
me,  I  addressed  him,  scorning  both  priest  and  presi- 
dente. I  refused  to  drink  with  them,  saying  that  they  were 
already  too  drunk  to  know  their  duties,  and  that  both 
should  be  ashamed  of  their  condition.  At  this  time  the 
cur  a  asked  me  if  I  were  a  clergyman.  On  my  replying  no, 
he  remarked  that  I  looked  like  one.  I  told  him  yes,  that  I 
was  frequently  mistaken  for  one;  that  a  priest  in  the  Mix- 
teca  had  even  thought  that  I  was  a  bishop.  He  then 
drunkenly  inquired  whether  I  were  married,  and  on  my 
replying  no,  made  the  astonishing  observation  that  then,  it 
was  certain  that  I  could  not  be  a  priest, —  that  every  priest 
had  one  wife,  bishops  two,  and  archbishops  three.  This 
drunken  priest  had  just  been  making  certain  observations 
to  the  presidente  calculated  to  interfere  with  my  work, 
and  I  felt  that  I  now  had  my  opportunity.  So,  turning 
upon  him,  I  gravely  reproved  him  for  his  remark.  I  told 
him  that,  in  his  language  and  his  drunkenness,  he  was  set- 
ting a  bad  example  to  his  parish;  that  he  should  go  at  once 
to  the  curato,  and  not  venture  forth  during  the  time  that  we 
remained  in  the  town.  Half-sobered  by  my  order,  he  arose 
without  a  word,  went  to  his  house,  and  did  not  again  appear 
for  four  days.  Having  gotten  him  out  of  the  way,  I  turned 
to  the  drunken  officials  and  told  them  that,  early  the  next 
morning,  I  should  begin  my  work,  and  that  they  must  make 
the  needful  preparations;  that  I  wished  to  measure,  photo- 
graph, and  make  busts  of  the  population.  I  told  them 
that  at  present  they  were  too  drunk  to  aid  me,  but  that  the 
following  morning  things  must  be  different;  that  enough 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


«45 


at  least  to  attend  to  my  orders  must  be  sober.  After  sup- 
per, attracted  by  the  noise  and  hubbub,  we  set  out  to  see 
the  plaza.  Torches  were  flaring  in  every  direction,  and 
considerable  business  was  being  done  at  all  the  booths. 
Crowds  of  drunken  people  were  squatting  on  the  ground 
in  all  directions;  at  the  town-house  the  band  of  music  was 
playing  the  jarabe,  and  40  or  50  persons  were  dancing  this 
lively  dance.  Old  and  young,  men  and  women,  boys  and 
girls,  all  were  taking  part;  no  one  paid  attention  to  any 
other  person,  but  each  seemed  to  be  trying  to  prove  himself 
the  most  agile  of  the  party.  All  were  drunk,  some  aston- 
ishingly so.  Occasionally  a  dancer  would  bump  against 
such  an  one,  who  would  fall  head  over  heels.  Immediately 
picking  himself  up,  he  would  go  at  it  again,  with  even 
greater  vigor;  sometimes  one  fell,  of  himself,  in  a  helpless 
heap,  and  lay  where  he  fell,  until  kicked  out  of  the  way 
or  until  the  music  stopped.  All  around  was  pandemonium; 
yelling,  singing,  cursing,  fighting  were  in  progress;  the  jail 
was  crowded,  but  every  now  and  then  a  new  case  was 
dragged  up;  for  an  instant  the  door  was  opened,  and  against 
the  crowd,  pushing  from  within,  the  new  prisoner  would 
be  crowded  into  the  cell.  At  one  time  in  the  evening  a  cry 
arose  that  a  murder  was  being  committed  in  the  jail.  The 
door  was  opened,  the  policemen  crowded  in,  and  the  two 
men  who  had  clinched  and  were  battling  were  torn  apart. 
One  was  dragged  outside  and  thrown  into  the  woman's 
jail,  and  for  a  time  the  air  was  blue  with  the  most  insulting 
cries.  Convinced  that  no  work  could  be  done  in  the  after- 
noons, we  labored  with  the  greatest  possible  diligence  each 
morning.  The  first  morning,  going  to  the  town-house,  we 
ordered  subjects  to  be  brought.  The  presidente  was  drunk; 
the  sindico  also;  still,  some  of  the  town  officials  were  found 
in  a  condition  able  to  do  our  bidding.  Having  measured  a 
few  of  the  officials,  we  proposed  to  take  such  prisoners  as 


146 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


still  remained  in  the  jail,  from  the  batch  of  the  preceding 
day.  There  were  eighteen  of  these,  and  with  them  we  made 
a  good  beginning.  Among  the  prisoners  we  found  our  first 
subject  for  modelling.  Oiling  him,  we  began  to  make  the 
moulds.  The  back-piece  had  been  applied;  the  second 
piece,  covering  the  lower  part  of  the  face  and  upper  chest, 
was  hardening,  and  we  were  busily  engaged  in  putting  on 
the  final  application  over  the  upper  part  of  the  face.  At 
this  moment  the  presidente  staggered  into  the  jail.  When 
his  eyes  fell  upon  our  subject,  he  stopped  aghast;  for  a 
moment  he  was  unable  to  speak;  then  he  groaned  out  the 
words,  "O  horrible  spectacle!  To  think  of  seeing  a  son 
of  this  town  in  such  a  position!  "  As  I  was  beginning  to 
laugh  and  ridicule  him,  the  old  mother  of  the  young  man 
came  bursting  into  the  jail,  weeping  and  trembling,  to  see 
what  fate  had  overtaken  her  son.  Wringing  her  hands, 
the  tears  rolled  down  her  face,  and  her  voice  was  choked 
with  sobs,  as  she  asked  pitifully  whether  he  must  die;  she 
told  me  that  he  was  her  only  support,  and  that,  without 
him,  she  was  absolutely  alone.  Taking  the  old  woman 
outside,  while  the  mask  should  be  completed,  I  chatted 
with  her,  and  as  soon  as  the  pieces  of  the  mould  were  re- 
moved, delivered  her  precious  son,  unharmed,  into  her 
hands. 

Just  as  we  were  ready  for  a  new  subject,  a  young  fellow, 
better  dressed  than  most,  passed  by.  We  called  him  to 
come  in  and  be  measured,  but  with  a  somewhat  insolent 
manner,  he  walked  by,  paying  no  attention  to  our  words. 
Sending  the  policemen  for  him,  they  soon  returned  with  the 
report,  "No  quiere"  (He  does  not  care  to  come).  To 
allow  a  first  refusal  was  not  to  be  thought  of,  so  we  ordered 
his  return.  Again  the  policemen  came  back  with  no  result. 
Thereupon  I  declared  that  no  more  work  should  be  done 
until  he  came;  that  time  would  be  lost  thereby,  and  the 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


jefe's  order  would  be  disregarded,  but  that  it  was  not  our 
fault.  Upon  this  the  presidente  informed  us  that  the  order 
was  not  explicit;  it  did  not  state  that  people  must  be  meas- 
ured; he  would  consult  the  civil  code  to  see  whether  any- 
one but  criminals  must  be  measured.  "Very  good/'  said 
I,  "do  as  you  like;  but  unless  that  young  man  is  brought 
in  we  shall  send  complaint  to  the  jefe;  send  for  a  messen- 
ger at  once  to  carry  my  report."  At  this  stage,  the  police- 
men returned,  telling  me  that  the  young  man  wanted  did 
not  belong  to  this  town;  that  he  could  not  be  found,  and 
probably  had  gone  home.  We  told  them  that  we  did  not 
believe  them,  but  that  we  would  proceed  with  our  work; 
however,  I  said,  that,  if  he  really  were  a  stranger  but  ap- 
peared again,  I  should  order  his  immediate  arrest  and  jail- 
ing. To  this  they  all  agreed;  and  we  continued  work  until 
the  town  was  again  too  drunk  for  anything  to  be  done. 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  when  the  bull-fight- 
ing was  at  its  height,  the  young  man  wanted  appeared  in  the 
ring  as  the  chief  fighter  and  attraction  of  the  day.  Step- 
ping at  once  to  the  policemen  I  told  them  that  he  must  be 
brought  immediately  to  the  town-house,  —  that  the  bull- 
fight must  cease  while  our  matters  were  arranged.  With 
much  grumbling  and  complaint  they  obeyed.  The  young 
man  dismounted  from  his  bull  and  was  brought  by  the 
policeman  before  us.  Here  we  asked  the  sindico  the  name 
and  residence  of  the  young  man;  and,  as  we  supposed,  he 
belonged  in  Mitla.  Asking  him  why  he  had  not  come  to  be 
measured  when  he  was  told  to  do  so,  he  replied  that  we  had 
already  measured  him.  Telling  him  that  lying  would  not 
save  him,  I  commanded  him  to  appear  the  following  morn- 
ing for  measurement, —  that  otherwise  he  would  be  sent  a 
prisoner  to  Oaxaca.  In  the  morning  he  did  not  appear 
until  officials  were  sent  to  bring  him.  After  he  had  gone 
through  the  ordeal  of  measurement  he  swore  eternal  friend- 


148 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ship  to  me,  and  at  no  time  afterward  was  I  able  to  pass  him, 
on  the  street  or  in  the  square,  without  his  begging  me  to 
drink  tepache  with  him. 

Mitla  is  famous  for  its  weaving;  fine  manias  of  wool 
are  made  there  in  two  chief  styles  —  one  a  long  strip  of 
black  or  blue-black  cloth,  the  other  a  rich  red,  sometimes 
banded  or  striped  with  black.  These  Mitla  manias  are 
widely  sold  to  Zapotecs,  in  all  the  district  around,  and  form 
the  characteristic  women's  dress.  The  Zapotecs  of  this 
district  wear  something  on  their  feet  that  more  nearly 
resembles  true  shoes  than  the  footgear  of  any  other  indians 
in  southern  Mexico.  The  sandal  of  the  man  has  a  pro- 
jecting heel-flap  which  is  bound  around  the  ankles  by  means 
of  thongs,  and  forms  a  good  protection  to  the  hind  part  of  the 
foot.  The  women  have  not  only  such  a  flap,  even  higher 
than  that  used  by  the  men,  but  also  a  broad  strip  of  leather 
over  the  forward  part  of  the  foot,  leaving  the  toes  peeping 
out  in  front;  between  the  heel  flap  and  the  toe  covering, 
the  foot  is  quite  as  well  enclosed,  excepting  for  the  toes,  as 
in  a  white  man's  shoe. 

It  was  quite  impossible,  with  the  amount  of  work  we 
had  to  do,  and  the  difficulties  under  which  we  labored,  to 
give  the  least  attention  to  the  ruins.  We  arranged,  however, 
to  make  a  photograph  of  the  town  authorities  standing  in 
the  great  court  of  one  of  the  fine  old  buildings  —  a  court 
the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with  beautiful  mosaic  deco- 
rations, betraying  taste  and  skill.  The  motley  crew  of 
half-drunk  officials,  miserably  dressed,  degraded,  poor,  in 
this  scene  of  past  magnificence,  called  up  thoughts  of  the 
contrast  between  the  government  of  old  Mitla  and  the 
present,  —  of  past  magnificence  and  modern  squalor. 

Having  accomplished  all  we  wished  at  Mitla,  we  again 
struck  eastward  toward  the  land  of  the  Mixes.  Late  in 
starting,  we  made  no  attempt  to  go  further  than  San  Loren- 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


149 


zo  that  afternoon.  The  old  road  was  familiar,  and  from 
there  on,  through  the  following  day,  everything  came  back 
to  memory.  Even  individual  trees,  projecting  rock  masses, 
and  little  streams,  were  precisely  as  we  remembered  them 
from  our  journey  of  three  years  earlier.  We  reached 
Ayutla  in  the  evening  a  little  before  sunset.  Riding  directly 
to  the  municipal  house  we  summoned  the  town  govern- 
ment. We  had  not  provided  ourselves  with  orders  from 
the  jefe  of  the  district,  as  Villa  Alta,  the  jejatura,  lay  far 
out  of  our  course.  We  planned  to  use  our  general  letter 
from  the  governor.  When  the  officials  assembled  we  pre- 
sented our  order  and  explained  it;  we  told  them  what  we 
needed  for  the  night,  and  arrangements  were  at  once  made 
for  supplying  us;  we  then  told  the  presidente  of  the  work 
we  had  before  us,  and  informed  him  that,  because  his  town 
was  small,  we  should  ask  for  only  thirty-five  men  for  meas- 
urement, and  that  these  must  be  ready,  early  in  the  morning, 
with  no  trouble  to  us. 

The  presidente  demurred;  he  doubted  whether  the  peo- 
ple would  come  to  be  measured;  we  told  him  that  they 
would  not  come,  of  course,  unless  he  sent  for  them.  When 
morning  came,  although  everything  had  been  done  for  our 
comfort,  there  was  no  sign  of  subjects.  That  no  time  might 
be  lost,  we  took  the  presidente  and  three  or  four  other  offi- 
cials, who  were  waiting  around  the  house ;  then,  with  firmness, 
we  ordered  that  he  should  bring  other  subjects.  The  offi- 
cials were  gone  for  upwards  of  an  hour,  and  when  they 
returned,  had  some  ten  or  twelve  men  with  them.  "Ah," 
said  I,  "you  have  brought  these,  then,  for  measurement?  " 
"On  the  contrary,  sir,"  said  the  presidente,  "this  is  a  com- 
mittee of  the  principal  men  of  the  town  who  have  come  to 
tell  you  that  the  people  do  not  wish  to  be  measured."  "Ah," 
said  I,  "so  you  are  a  committee,  are  you,  come  to  tell  me 
that  you  do  not  wish  to  be  measured?"    "Yes."  Wait- 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ing  a  moment,  I  turned  to  the  officials  and  asked,  "And 
which  one  particularly  does  not  wish  to  be  measured  of  this 
committee?"  Immediately,  a  most  conservative-looking 
individual  was  pointed  out.  Addressing  him,  I  said,  "And 
so  you  do  not  wish  to  be  measured?  "  "No  sir,"  said  he, 
"I  will  not  be  measured."  "Very  good,"  said  I.  "What 
is  your  name?  "  He  told  us.  I  marked  it  down  upon  my 
blank,  and  wrote  out  the  description  of  his  person.  Then, 
seizing  my  measuring  rod,  I  said  to  him  quite  sharply, 
"Well,  well!  Take  off  your  hat  and  sandals.  We  must 
lose  no  time!  "  And  before  he  really  realized  what  we  were 
doing,  I  had  taken  his  measurements.  Having  finished  with 
him,  I  turned  again  to  the  presidents  "And  what  other 
member  of  the  committee  particularly  objects  to  being 
measured?"  As  I  spoke,  another  man  was  indicated. 
Turning  to  him,  I  said,  "Let  us  lose  no  time.  Take  off 
your  hat  and  sandals  while  I  measure  you."  In  an  instant 
the  thing  was  done.  The  operation  was  carried  through. 
Before  I  had  finished  with  the  second  case,  the  others  began 
to  smile  and  snicker,  and  when  I  was  ready  for  my  third 
subject  I  simply  asked,  "Who  next?  "  and  they  came  one 
after  another  without  complaint.  Having  measured  all 
the  members  of  the  committee,  I  soberly  addressed  them. 
"Now,  if  there  is  any  harm  in  this  that  I  have  done,  you  are 
all  as  badly  off  as  can  be.  If  I  were  you,  I  would  try  to  get 
as  many  other  people  in  the  same  position  as  I  could;  go 
out  and  bring  in  others."  Before  noon  the  work  was  done, 
and  we  were  ready  to  go  on  to  Juquila. 

We  rested,  however,  the  balance  of  the  day,  and  spent 
a  second  night  at  Ayutla.  The  day  had  been  given  to  drink- 
ing, throughout  the  town.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the 
village  proper  lies  on  a  terrace,  upon  a  slope  above  the 
town-house.  As  we  sat  before  the  house,  in  the  afternoon 
and  evening,  we  heard  from  time  to  time  yells  and  cries 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


■5* 


above.  Some  policemen,  who  were  standing  up  there  to 
keep  order,  would  then  appear  upon  the  edge  of  the  slope, 
and,  waving  their  hands,  would  loudly  cry  for  help;  then 
the  policemen  from  the  town-house  would  run  to  their 
assistance,  and  in  a  little  time  the  party  would  return,  drag- 
ging one  or  more  victims  to  the  jail.  This  operation  con- 
tinued from  early  in  the  afternoon  until  late  at  night;  fully 
fifteen  or  twenty  persons  were  brought  down  from  the  vil- 
lage to  the  jail  during  that  time. 

We  had  hoped  to  find  the  valley  of  clouds,  and  the  great 
cloud  cataract,  on  the  road  to  Juquila,  but  were  doomed  to 
disappointment.  When  we  stood  upon  the  summit,  looking 
down  into  what  before  had  been  the  sea  of  mist,  the  whole 
place  was  clear,  and  everything,  to  the  very  bottom  of  the 
valley,  was  visible.  The  further  journey  seemed  more  tedious 
than  before,  and  the  latter  part  of  the  road  seemed  truly 
endless.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  air;  the  sun  poured 
its  hot  rays  down  mercilessly.  Long  before  we  reached 
Juquila  I  felt,  for  the  first  time  in  Mexico,  that  I  was  suffer- 
ing from  fever.  After  seven  and  a  half  hours  on  the  road, 
we  reached  the  town  at  1 130  in  the  afternoon,  and  went  at 
once  to  the  town-house,  where  we  were  well  received,  and 
arrangements  were  made  for  our  comfort.  When  they 
saw  that  I  was  suffering,  they  brought  out  hammocks,  of 
which  I  made  no  use.  Making  myself  a  bed  of  blankets 
upon  the  floor,  I  lay  down  in  my  misery  and  covered  myself 
from  the  world,  a  blanket  over  my  head.  After  some  hours, 
I  felt  that  we  were  losing  time,  and  that  we  must,  at  least, 
make  arrangements  for  the  work  of  the  following  day.  It 
was  now  dusk.  I  sent  for  the  officials,  and  when  they 
appeared,  told  them  that,  notwithstanding  my  suffering, 
I  could  not  lose  time,  and  that  early  in  the  morning  they 
must  bring  persons  for  measurement.  There  was  a  good 
deal  of  discussion  over  the  matter.    The  officials  were  dis- 


1 52  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


satisfied  that  my  order  was  not  signed  by  the  je}e  of  their 
district  and  dated  from  San  Carlos.  They  suggested  that 
we  send  a  messenger  to  San  Carlos  to  inquire  whether  the 
order  was  all  right.  I  replied  that  four  days  would  be  con- 
sumed in  going  and  coming;  that  time  was  precious,  and 
that  it  was  impossible  for  us  to  wait.  Seeing  that  they  were 
likely  to  refuse  to  do  what  I  wished,  I  made  a  little  speech, 
in  which  I  told  them  they  had  better  do  what  I  asked,  and 
that  promptly.  No  one  so  far  had  recognized  me  as  having 
been  there  before.  I  told  them  that  they  had  never  had 
better  friend  that  I;  that  this  was  not  the  first  time  I  had 
visited  Juquila;  that  when  I  came  before  I  had  had  diffi- 
culty; that  my  companion,  presenting  an  order  from  the 
governor,  had  been  badly  received  by  their  presidente,  who 
tried  to  do  him  violence;  that  if  I  had  reported  this  inci- 
dent, they  knew  well  what  would  have  happened;  that, 
however,  being  their  good  friend,  I  had  never  reported 
it.  Having  jogged  their  memory  regarding  the  past,  I 
suggested  to  them  that  a  report  of  the  previous  occurrence, 
with  their  present  disregard  of  orders,  might  be  serious. 
I  told  them  that  they  knew  what  I  desired ;  that  they  might 
at  once  inform  me  whether  it  would  be  done  or  not ;  if  they 
decided  in  the  negative,  the  secretario  and  my  mozo  must 
start  at  once  on  foot  to  Oaxaca,  carrying  my  complaint  to 
the  governor;  that,  as  for  me,  having  started  them  upon 
their  journey,  I  should  leave  early  the  following  morning 
going  to  some  town  where  the  people  knew  what  obedience 
to  the  law  meant.  They  at  once  promised  that  no  time 
should  be  lost,  and  that,  the  following  morning,  I  should 
have  the  subjects  for  whom  I  asked,  viz.,  thirty-five  men 
and  twenty-five  women.  Nor  was  it  simply  promises; 
having  told  them  that  I  would  begin  early  in  the  morning 
whether  I  were  well  or  ill,  and  that  I  wanted  no  delay,  we 
found  our  thirty-five  men  waiting,  at  seven  o'clock. 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


At  Juquila  the  system  of  public  crying  from  the  plaza 
is  fully  developed.  The  town  lies  in  a  valley,  and  most  of 
the  houses  are  on  slopes  surrounding  the  little  plain  or  ter- 
race upon  which  the  plaza  is  situated  on  which  the  govern- 
ment house  is  built.  When  aid  was  needed  by  the  town 
authorities,  whether  zacate  for  our  horses,  food  for  our- 
selves, objects  for  inspection,  or  what  not,  one  of  the  offi- 
cers, whose  business  it  seemed  to  be,  stepped  out  upon  the 
plaza,  and,  raising  his  voice  would  cry  out  what  was  needed 
by  the  authorities.  Whoever  had  the  things  desired,  com- 
ing out  before  their  houses,  would  cry  back  the  amount, 
description  and  variety  of  the  articles  they  could  supply. 
This  we  found  to  be  the  constant  practice. 

Nothwithstanding  the  clearness  of  the  preceding  day, 
our  day  of  working  was  cold,  damp,  and  foggy.  The  sea 
of  cloud  and  cataract  of  mists  must  have  been  in  full  opera- 
tion. Where  we  were,  a  heavy  wind  was  blowing  and, 
before  night,  rain  falling.  We  had  not  thought  of  the  possi- 
bility of  heavy  storms  or  damaged  roads  at  this  time  of  the 
year,  but,  before  night  came,  the  people  of  the  village  ex- 
pressed surprise  that  we  should  talk  of  leaving  the  next 
morning.  They  assured  us  that  at  Quezaltepec  and 
Ixcuintepec  it  was  surely  raining  heavily,  and  that  the  roads 
would  be  wet,  slippery  and  impassable.  Long  before  we 
went  to  bed,  a  gale  was  blowing  and  we  felt  doubts  re- 
garding further  progress.  In  the  morning  it  was  still  wet 
and  chilly;  all  told  of  terrible  roads  and  risks  in  proceed- 
ing; we  delayed.  Finally,  we  decided  to  press  on  at  least 
to  Ocotopec.  We  had  tried  to  send  the  mozos  forward  with 
our  baggage,  but  it  was  plain  they  would  not  move  until 
we  did.  Finally,  somewhat  after  nine,  we  started.  It  was 
still  heavy  and  chilly;  we  found  the  road  much  better  than 
we  feared ;  at  some  points  it  was  slippery,  but  not  for  long 
distances.    Until  we  were  on  the  final  descent  to  Ocotopec 


i54  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


we  were  sheltered  from  the  cold  wind.  To  be  sure,  here 
and  there,  where  the  road  passed  little  funnel  openings  along 
the  crest,  we  felt  fully  the  cold  wind  loaded  with  mist. 

We  noticed,  what  on  the  other  trip  escaped  my  attention, 
the  profound  difference  in  vegetation  between  the  two  sides 
of  the  hill  upon  the  crest  of  which  we  were  travelling. 
The  one  slope,  cold  and  damp,  was  densely  forested  with 
trees,  loaded  with  air-plants  and  orchids.  The  other  slope, 
warmer  and  drier,  was  far  less  heavily  grown,  and  in  large 
part,  with  pines.  Among  the  plants  noticed  by  the  roadside 
was  a  species  of  pinguicula  which  was  very  common  on 
damp  clay-cuttings.  Its  leaves  form  a  close,  flat  rosette 
upon  the  ground,  from  which  a  slender  stalk  rises,  with  a 
a  single  crimson  flower.  When  we  reached  the  final  descent 
to  the  town,  we  caught  the  full  force  of  the  cold,  mist-laden 
wind,  which  struck  our  faces  and  made  us  shiver.  Yet  it 
was  on  this  very  slope,  so  frequently  cold  and  wet,  that  the 
oaks,  covered  with  air-plants  and  blooming  orchids,  were  at 
their  finest.  Ferns  in  astonishing  variety,  from  the  most 
delicate,  through  giant  herbaceous  forms,  to  magnificent 
tree-ferns;  lycopods  of  several  species,  and  selaginellas, 
in  tufts,  covered  the  slopes;  and  great  banks  of  begonias, 
in  fine  bloom,  showed  themselves.  Before  we  reached  the 
village  we  were  forced  to  dismount,  on  account  of  the  slip- 
pery condition  of  the  road,  and  entered  town  on  foot. 

In  our  other  journey  Ocotopec  made  no  impression  on 
us.  It  is  really  one  of  the  most  picturesque  and  interesting 
of  the  Mixe  towns.  It  is  built  upon  a  slope,  which  is  cut  and 
built  into  a  series  of  little  terraced  gardens;  clusters  or 
groups  of  houses  stand  on  the  terraces.  The  houses  are 
rectangular,  built  of  adobe  brick  and  heavy  thatch,  with  a 
thick  comb  of  thatch  riding  the  ridge.  Unlike  most  Mixe 
churches,  the  church  at  Ocotopec  is  entire,  and  in  good 
condition.    It  is  built  of  stone.    The  town  is  purely  indian, 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


and  the  type  is  the  best  we  had  seen.  Had  there  been  light 
for  photographing,  we  should  have  stopped  there  and  done 
our  work,  instead  of  passing  on  to  Ixcuintepec.  As  it  was, 
we  spent  the  night,  and  were  well  treated.  Leaving  early  in 
the  morning,  we  hurried  to  Quezaltepec  for  dinner,  the  road 
being  better  than  we  had  anticipated.  The  town  is  prettily 
distributed  upon  a  curved  crest;  the  houses  are  neat,  built 
of  adobe  or  of  poles  daubed  with  mud.  Much  fruit  is 
grown  here,  and  coffee  is  an  important  crop.  In  almost 
every  yard  mats  were  spread  out,  on  which  coffee  was  dry- 
ing, or  being  sorted  by  people  squatting  on  the  ground. 
Considerable  cotton  is  woven  at  this  point. 

Leaving  at  3  40,  the  evening  ride  through  the  forest  was 
magnificent.  The  flora  was  such  as  we  have  before  de- 
scribed. As  we  rode  through  the  higher  forests,  we  con- 
stantly heard  birds,  notable  among  which  were  the  clarins, 
with  their  fine  clear  notes.  It  was  dark  before  we  reached 
Camotlan.  Nowhere  had  we  been  better  treated.  We 
were  shown  at  once  into  a  clean  room,  and  were  soon  sur- 
rounded by  bustle  and  preparation  for  our  comfort.  There 
are  but  143  inhabitants,  of  whom  six  —  four  men  and  two 
women  —  have  goitres.  We  had  been  previously  in- 
formed that  the  whole  town  was  goitrous.  There  were 
three  deaf-mutes,  but  no  idiots,  in  the  town.  Inquiring  for 
books  printed  in  the  Mixe  tongue,  we  were  informed  that 
the  choir-master  had  one.  On  expressing  my  desire  to 
see  it,  they  sent  to  bring  him.  We  were  astonished  at  his 
appearance.  The  messengers  who  brought  him  carried 
him  in  their  arms,  and  set  him  down  upon  the  floor,  when 
we  saw  that  he  had  been  born  without  legs,  and  with  sadly 
deformed  arms  and  hands.  Yet,  when  once  placed  upon 
the  floor,  he  moved  about  easily,  and  had  a  cheery  face 
and  sunny  temper.  He  was  delighted  to  show  us  his  book 
and  took  the  greatest  pride  in  reading  from  it.    It  is  truly 


iS6 


IN   INDIAN  MEXICO 


remarkable  that  he  can  do  this.  The  book  was  written  in 
the  dialect  of  Juquila  of  more  than  170  years  ago.  The 
dialect  of  Juquila  was  no  doubt  then  different  from  that  of 
Camotlan,  and  during  the  170  years  there  have  been  great 
changes,  even  in  that  town  itself.  As  I  watched  the  man 
read  from  his  book,  I  noticed  that  he  pronounced  parts  of 
words  differently  from  the  way  in  which  they  were  spelled; 
how  he  had  worked  out  for  himself,  unaided,  the  proper 
meaning  and  purport  of  the  words  was  a  mystery.  I  had 
intended  to  purchase  the  book,  but  found  him  so  attached 
to  it  that  I  gave  up  the  plan.  Had  he  been  a  normal  man, 
I  should  have  insisted;  but  then,  if  he  had  been  a  normal 
man,  he  would  not  have  had  the  book  nor  known  how  to 
read  it. 

From  Camotlan  we  rode  steadily  for  five  hours  to  reach 
Ixcuintepec.  There  were  considerable  stretches  of  slip- 
pery road  to  be  passed.  The  two  gorge  rides,  the  bridges 
of  vines,  and  the  houses  along  the  way,  were  beautiful  as 
ever,  but  the  magnificent  mountain  forests  were  left  entirely 
behind  us.  The  old  church  at  Ixcuintepec  is  visible  on  the 
high  crest  for  a  considerable  distance.  As  we  made  the 
final  climb,  the  boys  noticed  in  the  trees  structures  one 
and  a  half  feet  or  two  feet  in  diameter,  and  somewhat  dome- 
shaped.  I  should  have  taken  them  for  wasps'  nests,  but 
the  party  insisted  that  they  saw  parrots  come  out  of  them, 
and  that  no  doubt  young  parrots  were  in  the  nests.  Imme- 
diately there  was  great  excitement,  for  Manuel  had  all 
along  wanted  to  capture  a  parrot  to  take  home  with  him. 
The  party  stopped,  and  stones  were  thrown  to  drive  out 
the  birds,  but  with  no  result.  Finally  Mariano  climbed  the 
tree,  creeping  out  along  the  branches  almost  to  the  nest; 
just  at  that  moment  an  unusually  well-aimed  stone  struck 
the  nest,  but  instead  of  parrots,  out  streamed  a  great 
cloud  of  wasps,  which  flew  straight  towards  the  mozov 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


*57 


who  lost  no  time  in  getting  down  from  his  precarious 
position. 

We  found  Ixcuintepec  almost  deserted;  hardly  any  of 
the  town  officials  were  there.  Almost  everyone  was  off, 
working  in  the  coffee  fincas.  We  quickly  saw  that  we  had 
made  a  great  mistake  in  waiting  for  our  remaining  sub- 
jects until  this  town.  Not  only  were  men  conspicuous  by 
their  absence,  but  the  women  were  extremely  hostile. 
They  objected  to  our  photographing  their  houses  or  them- 
selves. They  drove  the  messenger  whom  I  had  sent  to 
measure  a  house,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a  miniature 
reproduction,  off  the  premises  with  clubs.  The  mozos, 
who  had  accompanied  us  thus  far,  had  no  intention  of  going 
farther,  and  the  problem  of  getting  carriers  —  which  had 
troubled  us  ever  since  we  had  left  Mitla  —  assumed  serious 
proportions.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  and  much  bluster 
that  we  secured  the  food  we  needed  and  the  mozos.  When 
the  mozos  came,  three  out  of  the  four  whom  it  was  necessary 
for  us  to  employ,  were  mere  boys,  the  heartiest  and  best  of 
whom  was  scarcely  ten  years  old.  In  vain  we  declared 
that  it  was  impossible  for  such  little  fellows  to  carry  the 
burdens  that  needed  transportation.  It  was  plain  that  they 
were  our  only  resource.  Starting  the  three  boys  upon  a 
short  cut  to  San  Miguel,  the  oldest  mozo  and  ourselves  went 
by  another  road  to  Coatlan.  It  was  fortunate  for  us  that 
the  school-teacher  at  this  town  was  interested  in  our  work. 
We  took  possession  of  the  school-house,  showed  our  orders 
to  the  officials,  and,  after  much  difficulty,  obtained  our 
wishes.  The  town  was  almost  as  deserted  as  had  been 
Ixcuintepec,  but  after  infinite  difficulty,  we  succeeded  in 
getting  sufficient  subjects  to  complete  our  work. 

We  had  thought  ourselves  unfortunate  at  Ixcuintepec 
and  Coatlan;  the  worst  lay  before  us.  We  found  San 
Miguel  deserted.    Our  three  mozos  who  had  been  paid,  and 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ordered  to  go  simply  to  that  village,  and  there  to  leave 
our  things,  had  left  before  we  arrived.  The  man  who 
had  come  with  us,  we  had  dismissed  before  we  realized  con- 
ditions. The  coffee  had  been  gathered  for  the  season;  the 
chief  man  of  the  place  was  in  the  mountains;  there  was  no 
town  government;  neither  prayers,  threats,  nor  bribes  pro- 
duced food  for  ourselves  and  our  horses;  two  or  three  men 
around  the  place  would  not  be  hired  as  mozos.  We  finally 
were  forced  to  leave  our  busts,  plaster,  photographic  outfit 
and  plates  on  a  bench  under  an  open  shed,  and  go  on  alone 
to  Santiago  Guevea.  It  was  a  bitter  disappointment,  be- 
cause our  previous  experience  at  San  Miguel  had  been  so 
pleasant  and  interesting. 

When  we  left  Coatlan  that  morning,  it  had  been  through 
clouds  and  drizzling  rain.  When  we  passed  through  San 
Miguel,  conditions  were  but  little  better.  From  there,  we 
went  through  a  gorge  road,  everywhere  passing  little  planta- 
tions of  coffee,  bananas,  and  tobacco.  Finally,  we  began 
our  last  mountain  or  forest  climb.  The  wind  with  the 
rain  became  colder  and  more  penetrating.  At  the  summit, 
we  found  a  typical  norther  raging,  and  at  points  our  animals 
and  ourselves  were  almost  blown  from  the  crest.  In  good 
weather  the  road  is  long,  but  through  this  it  was  dreadful. 
Few  towns  compare  in  beauty  of  location,  and  appearance 
from  a  distance,  with  Santiago  Guevea.  It  was  nearly 
five  when  we  drew  up  in  front  of  the  crowded  town-house. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  this  town  is  Zapotec,  Coatlan 
being  the  last  Mixe  town.  The  school-teacher  interested 
himself  in  our  welfare,  securing  for  us  a  real  sleeping-room 
with  cots,  putting  our  horses  into  the  corridor  of  the  school- 
house,  and  arranging  for  our  meals.  Chocolate  and  bread 
were  at  once  furnished,  and  at  eight  o'clock  a  good  supper 
was  sent  to  our  room.  In  the  plaza  outside,  the  wind  was 
blowing  a  hurricane  and  the  cold  cut  like  a  knife;  but  the 


THE  MIXES  REVISITED 


house  in  which  we  slept  was  tight  and  warm.  In  the  morn- 
ing, we  found  the  wild  weather  still  continuing.  It  had 
been  out  of  the  question  to  send  mozos  to  San  Miguel  the 
night  before,  and  it  seemed  wicked  to  start  them  out  in  such 
a  storm  of  wind,  fog,  rain  and  cold.  Still,  our  time  was 
precious,  and  we  ordered  men  sent  to  the  place  where  our 
stuff  had  been  left,  to  fetch  it;  meanwhile,  we  decided  to 
wait  until  they  should  appear.  Our  animals  had  had 
nothing  to  eat  the  previous  day,  except  a  little  corn  we  had 
brought  with  us  from  Coatlan.  We  therefore  ordered 
zacate  brought  for  them.  The  night  before,  I  had  inquired 
regarding  the  acquaintances  we  had  made  at  San  Miguel 
in  our  previous  trip.  I  learned  that  the  man  had  died 
less  than  a  month  before,  but  that  the  widow,  the  four 
boys  and  the  little  girl,  having  finished  their  work  at  the 
coffee  finca  at  San  Miguel,  were  in  town.  Accordingly  we 
called  at  the  house.  The  woman  immediately  recognized 
me,  and  asked  after  Don  Ernesto.  The  boys  were  sleeping, 
bedded  on  piles  of  coffee,  but  were  routed  from  their  slum- 
ber to  greet  us.  At  first,  none  of  them  remembered  me,  but 
the  little  girl  did,  and  soon  Castolo  also.  Their  house  was 
comfortable,  and  piles  of  corn,  coffee,  and  bananas  were 
stacked  up  in  the  place.  They  invited  us  to  stop  with  them, 
but  we  were  already  well  housed  by  the  authorities.  As  we 
left,  the  woman  went  to  the  corner,  and,  from  a  pile  of  simi- 
lar objects,  took  two  things  neatly  wrapped  in  corn-husks. 
On  opening  them,  we  found  that  they  were  eggs,  which  are 
frequently  wrapped  in  this  way  for  storage,  in  all  the  indian 
towns.  Although  we  had  ordered  food  for  the  horses,  at 
seven  o'clock  it  had  not  appeared.  We  called  at  the  town- 
house  several  times,  but  still  no  zacate.  Our  dinner  came, 
and  the  afternoon  passed,  but  still  no  fodder  for  the  horses 
was  produced,  and  the  poor  animals  had  eaten  nothing,  prac- 
tically, for  two  whole  days,  although  subjected  to  hard  work 


i6o  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


and  the  pelting  storm.  We  anxiously  watched  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  mozos  with  our  equipment.  The  storm,  though 
still  raging,  was  abating,  and  we  could  see  well  down  the 
road.  When,  at  half  past  three  in  the  afternoon,  there  was 
no  sign  of  either  men  or  fodder,  we  called  the  town  authori- 
ties to  account.  We  told  them  that  we  would  wait  no 
longer  in  a  town  where  our  animals  could  only  starve;  that 
they  must  forward  our  boxes,  plaster  and  busts  promptly  to 
Tehaun tepee;  that  we  should  hold  them  responsible  for 
loss  or  delay,  and  that  all  should  be  delivered  at  the  office 
of  the  jefe.  Paying  no  attention  to  their  entreaties  that 
we  should  wait  a  little  longer  for  the  fodder,  which  they 
promised,  as  they  had  so  many  times  before,  would  come 
soon,  we  saddled  our  animals,  and  at  4:20  left  the  town. 
Just  as  we  started,  little  Castolo  appeared  with  two  bunches 
of  zacate  sent  by  his  mother,  as  a  present  to  Don  Federico. 

Certainly,  there  must  be  a  new  and  better  road  from 
Guevea  to  Santa  Maria  than  the  one  we  traversed  in  our 
other  journey,  and  which  again,  following  from  memory, 
we  used.  It  was  a  fearful  trail,  neglected  and  ruined,  over 
slippery  rock  and  rough,  sharp-splintered  stone.  Still  we 
pressed  on  rapidly,  making  even  better  time  than  we  had 
been  assured  at  the  town  that  we  might  expect  to  make. 
Never  were  we  more  happy  than  in  reaching  Santa  Maria, 
lovely  in  the  moonlight,  with  its  great  church,  fine  munici- 
pal-house, cocoa-nut  trees  and  thatched  huts.  Here  was 
no  sign  either  of  the  norther  or  the  rain.  The  next  day's 
journey  was  over  the  hot  dusty  road  with  glimpses  now  and 
then  of  the  distant  Pacific  and  Tlacotopec  for  destination. 
The  following  morning  we  pressed  on  toward  Tehuantepec, 
through  the  dust  and  heat,  reaching  the  city  at  noonday. 
To  our  great  surprise,  we  found  the  mozos}  with  the  plaster, 
the  busts,  and  the  boxes  of  plates,  waiting  for  us  since  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


ABOUT  TEHUANTEPEC 
(1899) 

OINCE  our  former  visit  to  Tehuantepec,  that  hot  and 
^  dusty  city  had  suffered  terrible  misfortune.  Through 
a  period  of  several  months  it  was  subject  to  frequent  shocks 
of  earthquakes;  for  a  time  these  were  of  daily  occurrence, 
and  on  one  occasion  there  were  seventeen  in  a  single  day. 
The  town  still  showed  the  destruction  produced  by  these 
earthquake  shocks,  although  for  some  months  past  there 
had  been  none.  Houses,  stores,  churches,  all  presented 
great  cracks  and  bare  spots  from  which  plaster  had  fallen. 
Many  of  the  people  had  left  the  city  permanently;  those 
who  remained  were  completely  discouraged  and  unwilling 
to  spend  trouble  and  money  in  the  repair  of  their  houses. 
Tehuantepec  is,  of  course,  a  city  of  considerable  size;  sit- 
uated on  a  railroad,  it  has  lost  its  importance  since  that 
thoroughfare  was  constructed.  It  was,  formerly,  the  nat- 
ural point  through  which  all  the  produce  of  the  surrounding 
country  passed;  the  railroad  has  given  similar  opportunity 
to  other  places,  to  the  loss  of  Tehuantepec.  Between 
earthquakes,  the  damage  resulting  from  the  railroad,  and 
the  location  of  the  military  forces  at  Juchitan,  not  far  dis- 
tant, the  town  is  declining.  It  is  still,  however,  the  cabe- 
cera,  and  the  jefe  is  a  man  of  some  force  and  vigor.  Shortly 
after  our  arrival,  I  visited  his  office,  delivered  the  governor's 
letter,  and  stated  our  purpose  in  visiting  his  city.  He 
seemed  interested,  and  at  once  stated  that  there  would  be 

no  difficulty  in  carrying  out  my  plans;  that  I  would  find 

161 


l62 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


plenty  of  women  for  measurement  in  Tehuan tepee  itself; 
that  the  100  men  had  better  be  secured  at  San  Bias,  which, 
although  independent  in  government,  adjoins  Tehuante- 
pec.  I  suggested  that  it  would  be  well  to  measure  the 
women  in  the  court-yard  of  his  palace;  he,  however,  re- 
plied, "By  no  means;  it  will  be  much  better  to  go  directly 
to  the  market,  where  the  women  are  gathered  in  great 
numbers;  a  regidor  will  accompany  you  to  arrange  the 
matter  with  your  subjects. " 

Although  convinced  that  his  plan  was  bad,  we  arranged 
to  begin  work  the  following  morning;  with  instruments 
and  regidor  we  presented  ourselves  in  the  market,  picking 
out  a  suitable  spot  and  preparing  for  work.  Then  I  told 
the  regidor  to  bring  a  subject.  The  market-place  was 
crowded,  probably  two  or  three  hundred  women  being  there 
gathered.  Approaching  the  nearest  of  them,  the  regidor 
politely  asked  her  to  step  up  and  be  measured.  We  were 
not,  however,  dealing  with  Triquis.  The  women  of  Te- 
huantepec  are  certainly  the  heads  of  their  houses;  the  men 
occupy  but  an  inferior  position.  Possibly,  they  are  really 
larger  than  their  husbands,  but,  whether  that  be  true  or  not, 
they  give  that  impression  to  the  spectator.  The  lady  indi- 
cated lost  no  time  in  assuring  the  regidor  that  she  had  no 
intention  of  being  measured,  and  he  returned  crest-fallen  to 
report  results.  He  met  with  no  sympathy.  I  told  him  he 
had  been  sent  to  bring  the  women,  that  my  business  was 
simply  to  measure  them;  that  if  he  would  do  his  duty,  I 
would  do  mine.  He  made  two  other  efforts,  equally  futile, 
and  finally  returning,  said  he  thought  an  order  would  be 
necessary.  I  told  him,  if  he  had  not  already  an  order 
I  did  not  know  what  an  order  was;  that  the  jefe  had  dis- 
tinctly told  me  what  he  was  to  do;  that  he  was  not  doing  it. 
He  then  said  he  had  better  go  to  the  palace  a  moment; 
would  I  kindly  wait.    I  waited.    He  soon  reappeared,  and 


ABOUT  TEHUANTEPEC 


started  in  bravely  with  a  new  subject,  but  was  again  re- 
pulsed. Returning,  he  said  that  we  had  better  go  up  to  the 
palace  and  interview  the  jefe  again.  I  replied  that  I  had  no 
time  to  spare;  that  we  had  already  lost  two  hours  at  the 
palace,  waiting  for  the  jefe  to  appear,  and  that  I  did  not 
propose  to  lose  more  time;  that  he  knew  what  I  expected, 
and  must  either  do  it,  or  I  would  return  to  my  hotel.  He 
helplessly  remarked  that  we  had  better  see  the  jefe,  where- 
upon I  picked  up  my  instruments  and  departed  to  the  hotel. 
Leaving  my  instruments  at  the  hotel,  I  decided,  while  mat- 
ters were  adjusting  themselves  —  for  I  had  no  thought  of 
bothering  myself  further  —  to  call  upon  the  bishop.  Sally- 
ing from  the  hotel,  I  met  upon  the  street  the  regidor  and  two 
other  town  officials,  who  were  awaiting  me.  "Sir,"  said 
he,  "will  you  not  measure  the  women?"  "No,"  said  I, 
"I  am  going  to  call  upon  the  bishop.  I  have  no  time  to 
waste.  We  went  once  to  measure  the  women,  but  you  had 
no  power;  your  jefe  plainly  is  a  man  without  authority." 
"No,  sir,"  cried  he,  "the  jefe  has  issued  a  strict  order  that 
the  women  must  be  measured."  "No  matter,"  I  replied, 
"I  have  no  time  to  waste.  I  shall  make  my  call."  With 
this  I  entered  the  bishop's  palace,  and  had  an  interesting 
visit  with  that  prelate.  When  leaving  the  palace,  I  found  the 
regidor  and  four  town  officials,  awaiting  my  appearance. 
He  at  once  demanded  whether  it  was  not  my  intention  to 
measure  the  women.  He  said  that  he  had  been  to  see  the 
jefe,  and  that  the  jefe  said  my  wishes  must  be  obeyed.  I 
asked  him  where  it  was  proposed  to  measure  the  women, 
and  he  replied  that  it  should  be  wherever  I  pleased.  "Very 
good,"  said  I.  "We  will  measure  them  in  the  court-yard 
of  the  jefe's  palace;  have  subjects  brought  there  at  once, 
and  send  a  man  to  my  hotel  for  my  instruments." 

To  the  palace  we  went,  and  thither  shortly  four  police- 
men brought  a  woman  from  the  market.    With  bad  grace, 


164  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


she  submitted  to  be  measured,  after  which  the  four  police- 
men went  again  to  the  market,  and  soon  after  reappeared 
with  a  second  subject.  So  the  work  went  on,  with  four 
policemen  to  each  woman,  until  our  full  number  was  finally 
secured  and  the  work  completed. 

Three  years  ago,  on  my  return  from  Guatemala,  I  met 
in  this  city  an  English  doctor  named  Castle,  who  has  lived 
here  for  many  years  —  a  man  of  scientific  tastes  and  interests, 
who  has  employed  his  leisure  in  studying  the  botany,  zool- 
ogy, and  indians  of  the  district.  He  is  well-informed,  and 
one  of  the  few  persons  acquainted  with  the  Juaves.  I 
counted  on  his  help  in  approaching  that  curious  and  little- 
known  tribe.  The  doctor's  house  is  full  of  pets;  eight 
different  kinds  of  parrots,  a  red  and  yellow  macaw,  a  bril- 
liant-billed, dark-plumaged  toucan,  an  angora  goat,  a 
raccoon,  dogs  and  cats,  are  a  part  of  the  happy  family 
that  prowls  at  large  in  his  house.  A  little  creature,  an  in- 
dian,  no  more  than  eight  years  old,  has  adopted  the  doctor 
for  her  father.  She  had  come  to  him  as  a  patient  for  a 
trouble  by  no  means  uncommon  here  —  night-blindness; 
in  caring  for  her,  he  gained  the  little  creature's  heart,  and 
she  will  hardly  hear  of  leaving  him  to  return  home.  The 
doctor  accompanied  us  on  our  first  visit  to  San  Bias,  and 
told  us  many  things,  not  only  of  the  Juaves,  but  of  the  Za- 
potecs  and  other  indians  of  the  region. 

From  the  hotel,  in  the  heart  of  Tehuantepec,  to  the  town- 
house  of  San  Bias,  is  a  walk  of  only  twenty  minutes.  Here 
for  three  days  we  did  our  work,  returning  to  our  hotel  for 
meals  and  lodging.  The  work  went  easily,  the  men  pre- 
senting little  or  no  objection  to  our  operations;  measure- 
ments, busts,  portraits  —  all  were  taken.  On  the  whole,  the 
Tehuantepecanos  do  not  present  a  simple,  pure  indian  type. 
The  women  seemed  to  be  purer  than  the  men.  The  secretario 
at  San  Bias  has  been  to  school.    He  is  one  of  the  few  indians 


ABOUT  TEHUANTEPEC  165 


of  the  district  who  has  taken  an  interest  in  the  study  of  his 
native  tongue.  He  has  already  published  a  grammar  of 
the  Zapotec,  as  spoken  in  his  village.  He  has  also  printed 
a  little  tract  for  lovers,  in  which  high-sounding  phrases  are 
translated  from  the  Spanish  into  Zapotec.  He  has  also 
prepared,  and  holds  in  manuscript,  a  dictionary  of  the 
dialect  containing  some  4,000  words. 

The  visit  to  the  Juaves  we  considered  one  of  the  most 
important  and  interesting  of  our  journey.  These  people 
are  conservative,  and  among  the  least  known  of  the  native 
populations  of  Mexico.  There  are  but  four  towns,  with 
a  total  population  of  probably  less  than  three  thousand 
persons.  These  towns  are  situated  at  a  few  leagues'  dis- 
tance from  Tehuantepec,  near  the  Pacific,  upon  narrow 
tongues  of  land,  washed  by  salt  lagoons.  The  nearest, 
largest,  and  according  to  Dr.  Castle,  the  most  conserva- 
tive of  the  four  towns,  is  San  Mateo  del  Mar.  We  had 
hoped  that  Dr.  Castle  might  accompany  us  on  our  journey. 
This,  however,  was  impossible,  but  he  suggested  that  he 
would  go  with  us  part  of  the  way.  To  avoid  the  great  heat, 
we  travelled  by  night,  as  there  was  moonlight.  Hiring  a 
carretero  at  San  Bias,  we  loaded  our  materials  and  instru- 
ments into  the  cart,  and  started  it  upon  its  way.  At  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  rode  from  Tehuantepec, 
taking  a  roundabout  road  in  order  to  see  the  hill  which  gives 
name  to  the  town.  It  was  Sunday,  and  many  women  and 
girls  had  been  visiting  the  cemetery,  carrying  bowls  filled  with 
flowers  to  put  upon  the  graves  of  friends.  We  saw  num- 
bers of  young  fellows  sitting  by  the  roadside,  and  learned 
that  they  were  the  lovers  of  the  young  women,  awaiting 
their  return  from  the  cemetery. 

The  name  Tehuantepec  means  the  mountain  of  man- 
eaters.  These  man-eaters  were  not  men,  but  tigers,  or 
ocelots.    The  story  runs  that  long  ago  this  mountain  was 


166  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


infested  with  wild  beasts  who  destroyed  the  people  of  the 
neighboring  villages.  Fearing  extermination,  the  people 
of  the  town  decided  to  consult  the  Juaves,  who  were  famous 
for  their  naguales,  or  witches.  The  oldest  and  most  skilled 
nagual  of  the  tribe  was  employed.  Having  performed  his 
incantations,  he  told  them  they  might  expect  immediate 
deliverance;  that  he  had  conjured  a  deliverer  from  the  sea. 
Soon  there  came  forth  from  the  water  a  gigantic  turtle,  who 
made  his  way  slowly  inland,  until  he  reached  the  bottom  of 
the  hill,  which  was  the  home  of  the  tigers.  The  dangerous 
animals  were  just  descending  from  the  mountain  in  a  double 
line,  but  the  moment  they  caught  sight  of  the  mammoth 
sea-monster,  their  bodies  froze  with  terror  and  they  were 
turned  to  stone.  Terrified  at  the  power  of  the  creature  he 
had  conjured,  the  old  nagual  quickly  made  use  of  his 
most  powerful  incantation,  with  the  result  that  the  turtle 
also  was  transformed  into  stone.  The  proof  of  the  truth 
of  the  story  we  saw  in  the  lines  of  stone  tigers  on  the  moun- 
tain side  and  the  stone  turtle  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  as  we 
rode  by. 

The  doctor  suggested  that  it  would  be  well  to  take  a 
guide  with  us  from  San  Bias  as  far  as  Huilotepec,  as  there 
were  many  side-roads  before  we  reached  that  town,  and 
that,  from  there,  we  would  need  no  help.  We  followed 
his  suggestion.  The  road  was  almost  level.  It  passed 
through  a  district  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  brush 
and  thorny  trees,  except  where  the  land  had  been  plowed 
for  planting  corn.  In  the  early  evening  we  saw  many 
birds.  Flocks  of  parrots  rose  from  the  trees  as  we  passed 
by;  at  one  point  Manuel  shot  a  little  eagle,  which  fell 
wounded  to  the  ground.  Our  guide  concluded  to  carry  it 
on  alive.  All  went  well  for  some  time,  but  at  last,  with  no 
warning,  the  bird  made  a  vicious  dash,  and  with  its  claws 
tore  through  the  trousers  of  the  guide,  making  a  great  gash 


ABOUT  TEHUANTEPEC  167 


in  his  leg.  The  man  promptly  decided  it  was  better,  on 
the  whole,  to  carry  it  further  dead  than  living. 

The  doctor  turned  back  at  sunsest.  We  reached  Huilo- 
tepec  something  before  eight,  and  found  it  a  large  pueblo 
with  houses  built  of  bamboo  or  cane.  Here  we  had  a  good 
supper,  and  dismissing  our  guide  started  out,  by  brilliant 
moonlight,  for  the  last  part  of  our  journey.  Shortly  beyond 
the  town,  the  road  turned,  for  a  moment,  into  the  river, 
and  after  passing  for  a  few  rods  in  the  river-bed,  struck  up 
again  onto  the  bank.  At  this  place  we  made  a  fatal  blunder. 
When  the  road  went  down  into  the  river,  supposing  that 
we  were  about  to  ford,  we  kept  straight  across  the  stream. 
Finding  a  road  upon  the  other  side  we  had  no  suspicion 
but  what  we  were  going  well  and  travelled  onward.  For  a 
long  time  we  found  trails  of  varying  degree  of  badness. 
Sometimes  the  branches  formed  a  complete  tangle  which, 
even  in  the  daytime,  would  have  required  careful  watching. 
As  it  was,  the  faces  of  the  party  were  well  scratched  with 
thorns.  Sometimes,  we  seemed  to  be  on  a  good  road;  at 
others,  we  had  hardly  found  a  trail.  At  one  place  we  passed 
a  ranch  —  Corral  de  San  Diego.  A  host  of  barking  dogs 
announced  our  coming,  and  we  cried  out  to  the  old  man 
living  there  to  tell  us  the  road.  His  directions  were  not 
clear,  but  in  attempting  to  follow  them,  we  retraced  our 
trail,  and  then  struck  into  another  road.  Keeping  to  it 
until  we  really  could  not  follow  it  further  for  the  tangle,  we 
retraced  our  steps  until  we  came  to  a  cart-road  crossing 
that  on  which  we  were.  We  started  first  to  the  right  upon 
this;  then,  concluding  we  were  wrong,  turned  about  and 
went  the  other  way.  We  soon  found  ourselves  off  the  road 
again,  and  travelling  blindly  through  the  brush.  Coming 
to  a  round  patch  of  clear  sand,  to  which  the  trail  on  which 
we  were  seemed  to  have  led  us,  we  could  find  no  way  out. 
Convinced  that  we  were  hopelessly  lost,  we  camped  out  upon 


168  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  sand  for  the  night.  Fortunately  we  had  a  little  corn 
with  us  which  we  gave  to  the  horses,  after  which  we  tied 
them  to  the  trees.  As  we  lay  upon  the  sand  in  the  bright 
moonlight,  we  could  hear  the  dashing  of  the  sea  waves  not 
far  away.  The  heat  was  intolerable  and  the  mosquitoes 
venomous.  We  secured  no  rest,  and,  at  the  first  signs  of 
day,  were  ready  for  our  start.  The  two  boys  went  out  to 
hunt  a  rabbit,  but  returned  with  most  discouraging  reports. 
While  they  were  absent,  Don  Anselmo  and  myself  were 
left  in  camp.  Suddenly  he  cried  out  that  our  horses  were 
running  away;  such  was  really  the  case.  The  last  one  was 
just  disappearing  in  the  brush  and  Anselmo  started  after 
them,  leaving  me  to  keep  the  camp.  When  the  other  two 
returned,  they,  too,  started  in  pursuit.  After  a  hard  chase, 
the  animals  were  captured  and  brought  back.  By  seven 
we  had  mounted  and  were  on  our  way.  We  retraced  our 
trail  of  the  night  before,  going  back  to  the  cart-road.  A 
little  before  eight  we  came  upon  a  ranch,  the  Ranchito  del 
Boca  del  Rio.  Here  we  asked  our  way,  and  found  that  we 
were  still  as  far  from  San  Mateo,  as  when  we  left  Huilo- 
tepec  the  night  before.  Eating  a  light  breakfast,  we  secured 
a  guide  who  took  us,  by  the  shortest  way  across  the  river, 
back  to  the  main  trail  for  San  Mateo,  where  he  left  us. 
The  road  was  long  and  hot  and  sandy.  Our  horses  could 
hardly  keep  up  a  decent  walk.  It  seemed  that  we  would 
never  reach  the  town.  More  than  an  hour  before  we 
arrived  at  the  town,  we  encountered  little  ranches  belong- 
ing to  it.  Everywhere  we  saw  flocks  of  sheep,  cows  and 
horses.  Curiously,  the  Juaves  have  always  had  herds, 
since  our  first  records  of  them,  but  they  eat  no  meat.  The 
country  was  more  tropical  than  any  through  which  we  had 
passed.  Clumps  of  palmtrees  were  to  be  seen  here  and 
there.  Pools  of  standing  water,  where  horses  and  cattle 
stood  cooling  themselves,  were  frequent.    The  people  whom 


\ 


ABOUT  TEHUANTEPEC  169 


we  met  wore  little  clothing.  Men  frequently  had  nothing 
but  the  breech-clout  and  hat.  Women  wore  a  skirt,  but  no 
upper  garment.  Children  up  to  ten  and  twelve  years  of 
age  ran  naked.  Reaching  San  Mateo  at  twelve  o'clock, 
we  found  the  village  excited  at  our  non-appearance.  Our 
carretero  had  arrived  long  before  with  our  luggage.  He  had 
told  the  presidente  of  our  intended  coming,  and  men  from 
the  town  had  been  sent  through  the  by-roads  to  seek  for  us. 
The  town  lies  on  a  level  stretch  of  sand,  and  the  houses  are 
built  of  canes  and  thatched  with  palm.  Most  of  the  trees 
in  the  village  are  palms;  some,  cocoa  palms.  The  plaza 
is  a  large  open  space.  On  one  side  of  it  is  the  church,  of 
stone  and  brick;  on  another  side  is  the  town-building  made 
of  brick,  covered  with  plaster,  and  consisting  of  three  por- 
tions,—  the  presidencia,  curato,  and  jail.  A  brick-paved 
corridor,  roofed  above,  runs  before  the  whole  building.  We 
were  given  the  jail  and  presidencia  with  the  corridor. 
Here  hammocks  and  a  bed  of  palm  stalks  were  prepared 
for  us,  and  orders  issued  that  eggs  and  tortillas  should  be 
brought  us.  The  Juaves  raise  no  crops.  They  are  fisher- 
men, and  their  food  and  living  come  from  the  sea.  Their 
dried  fish  and  shrimps,  and  the  salt,  which  they  make  from 
the  brine-soaked  bottoms  of  dried  lagoons,  go  far  and  wide 
through  the  country,  and  for  these  they  get  in  trade  the 
corn,  coffee,  chocolate,  and  raw  cotton  which  they  need. 
We  have  already  spoken  of  their  cattle,  which  is  a  source  of 
income,  though,  as  stated  before,  the  Juaves  rarely  eat 
meat  food. 

The  Juaves  present  a  well-defined  physical  type.  They 
are  of  medium  stature  or  tall.  Their  noses  are  the  largest 
and  most  prominent  in  indian  Mexico,  and  are  boldly  aqui- 
line. The  men  are  rarely  idle;  even  as  they  walk,  they 
carry  with  them  their  netting,  or  spindle  with  which  they 
spin  cord  for  making  nets.    It  seems  to  be  law,  and  is  cer- 


170 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


tainly  custom,  that  persons  coming  to  the  plaza  are  expected 
to  be  more  fully  dressed  than  when  travelling  on  the  road 
or  when  in  their  homes.  Usually  white  cotton  drawers 
and  shirt  are  worn  in  the  plaza]  outside,  practically  nothing 
but  the  breech-clout. 

There  is  an  interesting  commerce  carried  on  in  Juave 
towns  by  Zapotec  traders  from  Juchitan.  As  might  be 
expected,  this  is  entirely  in  the  hands  of  women.  Some 
women  make  two  journeys  weekly  between  the  two  towns. 
They  come  in  ox-carts,  with  loads  of  corn,  fodder,  coffee, 
chocolate,  cotton  and  the  like.  These  they  trade  or  sell. 
When  they  return  to  Juchitan,  they  carry  with  them  a  lot 
of  salted  and  dried  fish,  shrimps,  salt  and  eggs.  Upon 
these  expeditions  the  whole  family  accompanies  the  woman; 
the  traveling  is  done  almost  entirely  by  night.  These 
Zapotec  women  are  shrewd  at  bargaining.  They  must 
be  doing  a  paying  business.  It  was  interesting  to  see  the 
primitive  devices  for  weighing.  The  scales  consisted  of 
two  tin  pans  of  equal  size  and  weight  hung  from  a  balance 
beam.  The  only  weight  was  a  stone  weighing  a  pound. 
In  case  a  Juave  woman  wished  to  buy  a  quarter-of-a-pound 
of  cotton,  the  procedure  was  as  follows :  The  weight  was  put 
into  one  pan  of  the  scales  and  a  pound  of  cotton  weighed 
out  into  the  other;  the  weight  was  then  removed  and  the 
cotton  divided,  so  as  to  balance  in  the  two  pans;  one  of 
the  pans  was  then  emptied,  and  the  remaining  cotton  again 
divided,  with  the  result  that  a  quarter-of-a-pound  .of  cotton 
had  been  weighed. 

One  curious  feature,  which  we  had  not  seen  elsewhere, 
but  which  Dr.  Castle  had  warned  us  we  should  find,  was  the 
nightly  guard  set  upon  us.  As  we  lay  upon  our  beds  at 
night,  looking  out  upon  the  white  sand  in  front  of  us,  we 
could  see,  by  the  moonlight,  at  some  little  distance,  a  circle 
of  eight  or  ten  men  who  spent  the  night  sleeping  within 


ABOUT  TEHUANTEPEC  171 

call.  Another  striking  feature  was  the  music  which  we 
heard  in  the  late  evening  and  early  morning.  In  the  early 
morning,  five  o'clock  or  earlier,  and  at  sunset,  there  was 
service  in  the  church.  Later  on,  at  eight,  there  was  again 
singing  in  the  churchyard,  lasting  until  quite  a  late  hour. 
One  evening,  on  investigating,  we  found  eight  or  ten  men 
kneeling  on  the  sand  before  the  church  door,  singing  in  the 
moonlight.  They  were  practicing  for  the  procession  and 
special  service  of  the  second  Friday  of  Lent. 

The  water-life  of  the  Juaves  is  at  once  picturesque  and 
curiously  tame.  The  men  spend  much  of  their  time  on 
or  in  the  water.  They  make  great  dugout  canoes  from  large 
tree  trunks.  There  are  usually  no  paddles,  but  poles  are 
used  to  propel  the  craft  sluggishly  over  the  waters  of  the 
lagoon.  Few  of  the  men  can  swim.  The  fish  are  chiefly 
caught  with  nets,  and  both  seines  and  throw  nets  are  used. 
The  lagoons  are  said  to  abound  in  alligators,  and  the  men, 
when  fishing,  generally  carry  with  them  spears  with  long 
iron  points  which  are  said  to  be  used  for  protection  against 
attacks  of  these  reptiles.  Great  respect  is  shown  the  alli- 
gator, and  curious  superstitions  prevail  regarding  it. 

Between  San  Mateo  and  the  nearest  of  the  great  lagoons, 
the  country  ceases  to  be  level  and  is  covered  with  sand  dunes. 
On  these  dunes  there  are  great  numbers  of  hares  of  a  species 
peculiar  to  the  locality.  They  make  excellent  eating,  and 
Manuel  kept  our  larder  supplied  with  fresh  meat,  which  was 
welcome,  and  which  we  could  not  otherwise  have  had  among 
these  non-meat-eating  folk.  An  old  Zapotec  woman, 
seventy  years  of  age,  with  snowy  hair  and  gentle  face,  was 
deputed  by  the  town  authorities  to  do  our  cooking.  Her 
relatives  live  in  Juchitan,  and  why  she  had  chosen  to  live 
among  these  people  I  do  not  know.  She  took  a  motherly 
interest  in  all  our  party.  Nothing  was  too  good  for  us.  She 
spent  her  whole  time  in  hunting  supplies  and  cooking  and 


172 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


serving  food.  Not  only  did  she  insist  on  all  our  purchases 
being  supplied  at  cheapest  rates,  but  her  own  charge  for 
help  and  service  was  ridiculously  small.  From  early  morn- 
ing until  late  at  night  the  poor  old  soul  was  busy  in  our 
behalf.  On  our  leaving,  she  took  my  hands  between  her 
own,  and  kissing  them,  begged  that  we  would  send  her  a 
picture  as  a  remembrance. 

The  road  to  Tehuantepec  at  night  was  one  of  no  adven- 
ture. We  were  impressed  with  the  great  number  of  families 
travelling  in  ox-carts  over  these  roads  in  the  cool  night  air. 
It  was  a  custom  and  habit  of  which  we  had  before  no  reali- 
zation. It  lacked  but  ten  minutes  of  one  o'clock  when 
finally  we  rode  up  to  the  hotel  in  Tehuantepec.  From  the 
hostler  we  learned  that  every  room  was  full, —  five  persons 
in  some  cases  sleeping  in  a  single  room.  So  we  were  com- 
pelled to  lie  down  upon  the  porch  outside  until  the  morning. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


ON  THE  MAIN  HIGH-ROAD 


(1899) 


FTER  a  day  or  two  of  rest,  we  started  from  Tehuan- 


1  tepee  upon  our  return  to  Oaxaca.  For  the  first 
time,  we  were  to  follow  the  usually  travelled  high-road. 
Our  hearts  failed  us,  as  we  thought  of  thus  neglecting  the 
lovely  land  of  the  Mixes,  but  it  was  on  our  program  to  see 
the  Chontals.  Starting  at  seven,  we  lost  a  little  time  in 
having  a  photograph  of  our  party  taken  as  we  left  the  city, 
so  that  it  was  really  8:15  before  we  were  on  our  way.  Our 
plaster  had  been  sent  by  can  eta  to  Xalapa.  We  had  a  hot, 
hot,  hot  ride  over  a  heavy,  difficult  sand  road.  At  least 
half  a  dozen  times  we  forded  the  Tehuantepec  river,  and 
everywhere  at  places  which  would  have  justified  the  name, 
Xalapa,  "the  sandy  water."  Finally,  arriving  at  Xalapa 
at  four  o'clock,  we  found  it  a  large  town,  of  the  usual  hot, 
dusty  Zapotec  kind.  The  authorities  bestirred  themselves 
vigorously  to  locate  us  in  comfortable  quarters,  with  an  old 
lady  of  regal  apppearance  and  dignity.  From  the  start,  we 
feared  that  this  royal  appearance  and  dignity  would  be  paid 
for,  but  the  opportunity  for  comfort  was  not  to  be  neglected. 
One  of  the  houses  of  her  royal  domain  was  vacated  for  our 
use,  and  two  good  cots  and  a  hammock  were  put  at  our  dis- 
posal. The  supper  was  abundant,  and  capital  in  quality, 
and  there  was  plenty  of  food  for  the  horses.  Strolling 
down  to  the  river  after  supper  we  found  it  broad  but  very 
shallow;  it  did  not  reach  our  knees  at  any  point,  when 
we  waded  across  it;  the  bottom  was,  as  we  imagined  it 


174 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


would  be  from  the  name,  moving  sand.  After  a  bath  in 
the  much  too  shallow  stream  for  swimming,  we  returned 
refreshed  to  our  comfortable  beds.  As  anticipated,  we  found 
the  bill,  when  presented  in  the  morning,  truly  regal;  after 
some  demur,  our  queenly  hostess  reduced  it  slightly,  but; 
even  so,  we  were  reminded  of  the  summer-resorts  of  our 
own  country. 

Tequixistlan,  perhaps  the  largest  of  the  Chontal  towns, 
we  found  without  an  official  head.  While  we  were  in  Te- 
huantepec  the  jeje  received  notice  of  his  father's  death. 
This  notice  had  been  duly  sent  to  all  the  villages  and  towns 
within  the  district,  and,  on  a  certain  day,  the  presidente 
and  other  chief  officers  of  the  different  pueblos  gathered  at 
Tehuantepec  to  express  their  sympathy  by  speeches  and  to 
present  flowers  to  the  official.  It  was  for  this  errand  that 
the  presidente  of  Tequixistlan  had  gone  to  the  cabecera. 
Had  he  been  at  home,  perhaps  we  would  have  had  no  diffi- 
culty, but  as  it  was  we  found  the  government  disjointed 
and  nerveless.  Constant  nagging  and  harrying  were  neces- 
sary in  carrying  out  our  wishes.  The  town  itself  was  not 
bad.  It  stands  upon  a  sort  of  terrace,  at  a  little  height 
above  the  neighboring  river.  The  town-house  is  a  long 
building,  occupying  the  whole  upper  end  of  the  large  rec- 
tangular plaza;  at  the  lower  end  is  the  fine  church  and 
curato.  Along  the  sides  were  tiendas,  school,  etc.,  well 
built  adobes  and  plastered  over  with  tinted  plaster.  Be- 
hind the  church  beyond  the  river  rises  a  handsome  back- 
ground of  mountains.  The  long  corridor  in  front  of  the 
municipal-house  was  fine  and  broad,  with  a  high  roof  and 
brick  pavement.  Oleanders  bloomed  before  this  corridor. 
The  view  from  it  was  fine,  and  the  air  cool  there  even  in  the 
middle  of  the  day.  We  accordingly  took  possession  of  it, 
working  and  sleeping  there.  So  far  as  personal  comfort 
was  concerned,  we  were  well  cared  for.    We  had  good 


ON  THE  MAIN  HIGH-ROAD  175 

meals,  comfortable  cots,  plenty  of  food  for  the  horses,  but, 
as  we  have  said,  the  work  lagged,  and  it  was  only  with  the 
greatest  difficulty  that  we  could  accomplish  it. 

There  is  little  distinctive  about  the  Chontals,  as  we  saw 
them.  The  women  dress  much  like  the  Zapotec  women 
in  the  neighboring  towns.  The  men  present  nothing 
notable  in  dress.  Outside  the  plaza,  the  houses  were  built 
of  light  materials,  and  resembled  the  ordinary  cane- walled, 
thatched  huts  of  the  Zapotecs.  The  people  appeared  to  be 
badly  mixed,  and  this  not  only  with  white,  but  also  with 
negro  blood.  Nevertheless,  as  we  worked  upon  subject 
after  subject,  a  fairly  defined  type  seemed  to  grow  upon  us. 
We  could  see  that  the  Chontals  are  tall,  with  rather  well- 
shaped  faces,  though  somewhat  high  cheek-bones,  with 
light  complexions,  and  with  wavy  or  curly  hair.  When  the 
work  was  finished,  we  had  great  difficulty  in  securing  car- 
riers to  bear  our  burdens  to  San  Bartolo.  Enormous 
prices  were  demanded,  and  at  last,  angry  over  the  attempted 
extortion,  we  threatened  to  leave  all  our  stuff  behind  us, 
and  hold  the  town  responsible,  reporting  them  to  the  authori- 
ties when  we  should  reach  Oaxaca,  demanding  that  dam- 
ages should  be  collected.  These  threats  had  the  desired 
effect.  The  secretario,  who  had  been  the  only  member  of 
the  town  government  displaying  energy  in  our  behalf, 
promised  by  all  that  was  sacred  that  our  goods  should  be 
delivered  promptly  at  San  Bartolo;  that  if  they  were  not 
already  there  on  our  arrival,  we  might  safely  arrange  for 
further  transportation  from  that  town,  convinced  that  the 
goods  would  come  before  we  left. 

That  we  might  not  be  too  much  delayed  by  this  palaver 
regarding  carriers,  I  had  started  the  balance  of  the  party 
ahead,  and  rode  on  alone  after  them.  They  had  left  at 
10:15,  and  we  all  had  a  hot,  dry,  dusty,  thirsty  mountain 
ride  until  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  we  reached  the 


i76 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ranch,  Las  Vacas.  It  consisted  of  a  dozen  houses.  We 
rode  to  the  last  one  in  the  place,  which  consisted  of  brush 
and  leafy  branches,  and  had  an  enclosed  corral  adjoining 
it,  where  we  asked  for  lodging.  The  owner  was  a  young 
Zapotec,  who,  with  his  wife,  was  strikingly  neat  and  clean. 
A  little  girl  of  seven  was  the  only  other  member  of  the 
family.  The  house  had  but  a  single  room,  but  there  was 
a  coro,  or  cane  platform,  and  loft.  Having  fed  our  horses 
and  eaten  our  own  supper,  I  mounted  to  the  loft,  despite 
the  advice  of  all  the  members  of  the  party,  who  predicted 
smoke,  heat,  mosquitoes,  fleas  and  other  trials.  They 
stayed  below.  There  is  no  question  that  they  fared  worse 
from  all  the  sources  mentioned  than  myself.  The  woman 
worked  until  midnight,  making  tortillas  and  cooking  chicken 
for  us  to  carry  as  luncheon  on  the  road.  We  had  started  by 
four  in  the  morning,  and  pushed  along  over  a  mountain 
road.  The  first  portion  of  the  road  was  well-watered,  but 
afterward  it  became  hot,  dry,  and  stony.  Having  gained 
the  pass  looking  down  upon  the  valley,  we  could  see,  at  its 
further  side,  lying  on  a  terrace,  the  pueblo  of  San  Bar- 
tolo,  stretching  out  in  a  long  line  near  the  front  of  a  mighty 
mountain,  upon  which  plainly  our  way  would  pass.  It 
was  almost  noon  when  we  reached  the  municipal-house, 
and  found  that  our  carriers  had  already  arrived,  and  left 
the  luggage.  Here  things  were  really  quite  as  bad  as  at 
Tequixistlan,  but  here  fortunately  we  had  no  work  to  do. 
The  town  was  Zapotec.  One  might  suppose,  from  its  being 
upon  the  main  high-road,  that  they  would  be  accustomed 
to  see  strangers.  We  have  hardly  found  a  population  at  once 
so  stupid  and  timid.  It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  we 
found  food  to  eat.  Here  we  had  to  pay  for  beds  (made  of 
sticks  tied  together),  belonging  to  the  municipality,  a  thing 
which  we  had  never  done  at  any  other  town  in  Mexico. 
The  people  wear  curious  and  characteristic  garments. 


ON  THE  MAIN  HIGH-ROAD  177 

All  the  stuff  used  for  clothing  is  woven  in  the  town,  and  not 
only  the  women's  camisasy  but  the  men's  camisas  and  trous- 
ers, are  decorated  with  elaborate  designs  —  birds,  animals, 
and  geometrical  figures  —  worked  in  various  colors.  Even 
in  purchasing  examples  of  these  clothes,  we  were  compelled 
to  make  a  vigorous  display  of  our  civil  and  religious  orders. 
After  some  bickering,  we  arranged  for  carriers  to  San  Carlos, 
which  is  the  cabecera  of  the  district.  Starting  by  moonlight, 
at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we  struck  out  over  the  enor- 
mous mountain  mass  to  which  we  have  already  referred. 
Roads  in  the  Zapotec  country  do  not  go  directly  up  the  hill- 
side, as  in  the  land  of  the  Mixes,  but  zigzag  by  gentle 
diagonals  up  the  slopes.  The  road  was  largely  composed 
of  jagged  rock;  two  hours  and  fifteen  minutes  were  neces- 
sary for  the  ascent;  the  descent  was  bad  enough,  but  a 
distinct  improvement.  At  one  place,  however,  we  wandered 
from  the  main- travelled  road,  and  found  ourselves  in  an 
abandoned  portion  of  the  road,  full  of  great  holes  which 
were  rilled  with  drifted  fallen  leaves,  so  that  their  presence 
was  not  betrayed  until  our  horses  fell  into  them.  The 
latter  part  of  this  descent  was  slippery,  being  over  hard 
stone,  which  was  worn  almost  to  a  glassy  smoothness  by 
the  passage  of  many  hoofs.  A  little  before  reaching  Man- 
teca,  as  we  looked  down  from  the  height,  we  saw  an  immense 
train  of  pack-mules  coming.  In  the  good  old  days,  before 
there  were  railroads,  such  trains  as  this  were  frequent. 
From  Manteca  the  road  penetrated  into  contracting  valleys, 
until  finally  it  might,  with  propriety,  be  called  a  canon  road. 
At  half  past  eight  we  reached  San  Carlos,  a  mean  town 
with  no  meson  or  other  regular  stopping-place.  We  left 
the  horses  under  the  shady  trees  with  the  old  farrier.  While 
we  rested  and  waited  for  breakfast,  I  called  upon  the  jefe 
politico,  who  had  received  several  communications  from 
me,  and  had  become  interested  in  my  work.    Our  luggage 


178  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


was  all  at  his  office,  and  he  promptly  made  arrangements  for 
its  further  transportation.  At  breakfast,  we  received  the 
cheerful  news  that  Mr.  Lang's  horse  had  the  lockjaw  and 
showed  signs  of  dying.  On  inspection,  this  proved  to  be 
quite  true;  the  poor  animal  was  in  great  pain,  and  could 
eat  nothing,  though  making  every  effort  to  do  so.  Our 
first  thought  was  a  shot  in  the  head  to  put  it  out  of  misery, 
but  the  old  farrier  wished  to  try  a  remedio.  He  did  his 
best,  and  it  looked  as  if  the  animal  might  recover;  it  was 
plain,  however,  that  he  could  not  be  used  again  that  after- 
noon. Accordingly,  an  extra  horse  was  rented  for  Mr. 
Lang's  use.  The  remainder  of  the  party  was  started  on 
the  road  at  1 150,  while  I  waited  to  give  the  remedio  a  chance 
to  operate  and  the  beast  an  opportunity  to  rest.  At  three 
I  started,  leading  the  sick  horse.  We  had  a  fine  ride  in  the 
cool  of  the  evening,  over  a  mountain  road  past  the  little 
ranch  El  Quemado,  beyond  which  we  found  an  immense 
ascent.  When  we  reached  the  summit,  it  was  fast  darken- 
ing, and  I  pressed  on  as  rapidly  as  the  led  horse  would  per- 
mit. Finally,  I  reached  Escondido  at  seven.  Several 
large  parties  of  packers,  with  their  trains  of  mules,  had 
already  settled  for  the  night;  campfires  were  burning. 
Here  and  there  drinking  had  been  going  on,  and  there  was 
noise  of  loud  laughter,  singing  and  dancing.  Our  party 
was  already  eating  supper  when  I  arrived,  and  my  own 
meal  had  been  ordered.  Shelter  was  supplied  us  adjoin- 
ing the  house,  where  we  spread  our  blankets  and  spent  a 
comfortable  night.  We  were  late  in  starting,  and  were  not 
upon  the  road  until  seven  in  the  morning.  We  found  the 
high-road  most  uninteresting.  For  long  distances  we 
descended,  passing  a  ranch  and  emerging  finally  into  a  deep, 
hot  gorge.  By  the  time  we  reached  Pichones  we  were 
tired,  hot  and  thirsty.  There,  however,  we  could  get  no 
water,  for  man  or  beast,  for  love  or  money;  suffering  with 


Zapotec  Women  and  Girls;  Tlacolula 


ON  THE  MAIN  HIGH-ROAD  179 

thirst,  the  road  seemed  long  to  the  river  near  Totolapa, 
where  we  refreshed  ourselves  with  water,  but  a  heavier  road 
than  ever  had  to  be  traversed.  Much  of  the  way  we  fol- 
lowed the  stream-bed,  fording  repeatedly;  the  remainder 
was  through  deep  sand  and  over  rolling  pebbles.  Passing 
Juanico,  on  a  high  bank  overlooking  the  river,  at  noon- 
day, we  were  delighted  to  strike  upon  a  rock  road,  high  on 
the  river  bank.  Keeping  to  this  trail,  passing  from  planta- 
tions of  bananas  lying  at  the  river  level  below  us  and  catch- 
ing many  pretty  views  of  valley  and  of  mountain,  we  at 
last  reached  Totolapa,  completely  worn  out  with  the  jour 
ney  and  the  heat.  Here  we  rested  until  the  heat  of  the  day 
should  be  past. 

We  had  expected  at  this  town  to  secure  a  muleteer,  as 
the  one  we  hired  from  San  Carlos  had  agreed  to  come  only 
to  this  town.  Here,  too,  we  had  expected  to  rent  a  new 
horse  for  Mr.  Lang.  Our  muleteer,  however,  was  much 
taken  with  the  party,  and  declared  that  he  should  hire  him- 
self to  continue  with  us  to  Tlacolula.  We  quickly  arranged 
with  him,  and  at  four  o'clock  prepared  to  leave.  The  sick 
horse  was  then  at  its  worst;  it  had  lain  down,  and  for  a  time 
we  believed  it  was  really  dead;  it  was  out  of  the  question 
for  it  to  go  further;  so,  calling  one  of  the  villagers,  I  told 
him  that  he  might  have  the  horse,  and  if  there  was  any  possi- 
bility of  curing,  it,  he  should  do  what  might  be  necesssary. 

From  four  to  seven  it  was  a  tiresome  climb,  largely 
through  stream-beds  to  Carvajal.  It  is  a  large  rancho,  but 
we  stopped  at  the  first  house  we  came  to,  a  miserable  place, 
where,  however,  we  got  coffee,  bread,  beans  and  eggs,  and 
some  mats  for  beds,  which  we  laid  out  upon  the  ground, 
under  the  open  sky.  Taking  early  coffee  and  tortillas,  we 
were  again  mounted  at  four  and  on  our  way.  It  was  the 
last  ascent.  The  moon  was  shining  brightly,  and  we  could 
see  that  the  road  followed  the  edge  of  a  fine  gorge.  When 


i8o  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


we  once  reached  the  summit,  there  was  no  further  descent 
to  make.  We  were  on  the  high,  flat,  table-land  of  Oaxaca, 
and  from  here  to  the  capital  city  of  the  state,  the  road  is 
level,  and  passes  through  a  rich  agricultural  district.  Pass- 
ing San  Dionisio  at  seven,  we  pressed  on  as  rapidly  as  possi- 
ble to  Tlacolula,  where  we  arrived  before  noon,  ready  for 
the  good  meals  and  comfortable  quarters  which  we  well 
knew  awaited  us  there. 

Tlacolula  is  a  large  town,  in  the  midst  of  a  dusty  valley. 
Its  houses  are  large,  rectangular  constructions,  well  built 
of  poles,  with  fine  thatched  roofs.  They  stand  in  yards, 
which  are  enclosed  by  fences  of  organ-pipe  cactus.  The 
people  dress  well,  and  at  almost  every  house  they  own  an 
ox-cart  and  a  yoke  of  animals.  While  photographing 
there  that  afternoon,  we  suggested  that  we  wanted  a  group 
of  girls  and  women  in  native  dress.  "Very  well;  I  will 
take  you  to  the  house,  where  you  can  get  one."  Arrived 
there,  the  policeman  at  once  led  out  five  women  and  four 
children,  whom  he  placed  in  line.  After  the  picture  was 
taken,  we  expressed  our  satisfaction  and  surprise  that  so 
good  a  group  had  been  so  readily  secured  at  a  single  house. 
"Oh,  sir,"  he  replied,  "we  struck  a  lucky  time;  there  is  a 
funeral  going  on  there." 


CHAPTER  XV 


CUICATLAN 
(1899) 

TDETWEEN  Tehuacan  and  Oaxaca  the  railroad  passes 
*  through  a  low,  deep  valley  which  is  ever  hot.  Few 
people  on  the  train  pass  through  this  valley  without  feeling 
its  depressing  influence.  It  would  seem  that  travelers 
would  hardly  stop  at  stations  within  its  limits,  unless  im- 
pelled by  actual  necessity.  The  most  important  of  the  towns 
in  this  valley  is  Cuicatlan.  Little  of  it  is  to  be  seen  from 
the  railroad,  but  in  reality  it  is  a  notably  picturesque  village. 

It  is  the  cabecera  of  a  district  in  which  dwell  three  most 
interesting  tribes  —  the  Cuicatecs,  Chinantecs,  and  Maza- 
tecs.  We  had  time  to  visit  only  the  nearest  of  the  Cuicatec 
towns.  Cuicatlan  itself  is  situated  near  one  side  of  a  valley, 
through  which  runs  a  considerable  stream.  The  distant 
bank  rises  in  two  magnificent  mountain  masses.  The 
nearer  bank,  at  the  very  base  of  which  the  town  nestles  on  a 
series  of  little  hills,  rises  into  almost  sheer  precipices  of 
purple  conglomerate.  These  cliffs  are  hundreds  of  feet 
high,  and  are,  apparently,  due  to  a  gigantic  landslide.  The 
mass  which  fell  must  have  measured  fully  two  miles  in 
length,  and  still  lies,  broken  and  heaped  up,  at  the  base  of 
the  cliffs.  The  face  of  the  cliffs,  and  the  fallen  masses  of 
rock  at  its  base,  are  cut  into  narrow  gullies  and  gaps  by 
water.  The  town  consists  of  several  clusters  of  houses, 
scaled  along  the  slopes  of  little  hillocks  and  settled  into  the 
spaces  between  them.    Gigantic  cactuses  surround  the 

town,  and  cocoa  palms  rise  to  great  heights  within  it. 

181 


i82  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


It  is  customary  for  travelers  to  emphasize  the  slowness 
of  the  Mexicans.  Either  we  have  been  exceptionally  fortu- 
nate, or  the  reputation  is  largely  undeserved.  We  have  been 
rarely  delayed  by  sluggish  action.  Here,  however,  we  found 
a  jeje  who  would  surely  satisfy  the  most  complaining.  He 
was  mild  in  manner,  gentle  in  speech,  fond  of  brilliant 
plans  and  schemes,  all  of  which,  however,  were  to  be  put 
in  operation  to-morrow  and  not  to-day.  It  was  with  diffi- 
culty that  we  impressed  upon  him  our  necessity.  We  told 
him  that  we  wanted  animals  to  carry  us  to  Papalo.  In 
reply,  he  told  us  that  Papalo  was  but  a  poor  town,  and  he 
outlined  a  journey  the  traveling  alone  in  which  would 
occupy  some  eight  or  ten  days.  When  we  assured  him 
that  we  had  no  time  for  such  an  enterprise,  he  said  that  it 
would  be  much  better  for  the  towns  to  come  to  us  in  Cuicat- 
lan.  He  proposed  sending  to-morrow  to  those  towns,  and 
assured  us  that,  at  the  end  of  a  week's  time,  we  would  have 
all  the  subjects  we  needed.  So,  when  we  suggested  that 
this,  too,  was  loss  of  time,  he  had  other  brilliant  plans,  all 
quite  as  useless.  With  the  utmost  difficulty  we  finally 
succeeded  in  getting  him  to  arrange  for  animals  to  go  to 
Papalo.  From  the  very  start,  the  road  was  up-hill.  Pass- 
ing first  through  a  section  covered  with  a  magnificent 
growth  of  tree  cactuses  of  two  species,  in  fine  fruit  and 
flower,  we  found  the  vegetation  varied  as  we  mounted,  and 
at  last  came  up  among  the  pines.  There  was  a  great  var- 
iety of  landscape  and  geological  formation.  Purple-red 
conglomerate,  with  horizontal  layers  weathered  into  mas- 
sive forms;  granitic  schistose  rocks,  over  which  we  later 
passed,  gave  their  peculiar  scenic  outlines.  We  climbed 
steadily  for  fully  four  hours,  and  then  looked  down,  along 
a  gently  sloping  hill  trail,  to  our  town,  perched  upon  a 
slightly  lower  hill.  Just  at  the  edge  of  the  town,  we  passed 
a  gang  of  men  and  boys  at  work,  making  a  level  platform 


CUICATLAN 


for  the  new  plaza  and  town-house.  We  congratulated  our- 
selves that  we  should  have  no  difficulty,  here,  in  finding 
subjects.  The  town  claimed  three  thousand  population. 
Many  of  them  were  certainly  away  upon  their  fields  and 
ranches,  scattered  through  the  mountains,  and  working 
fincas  for  wealthy  landowners.  The  town  itself  is  pictu- 
resque in  the  extreme.  Notable  among  its  features  is  the 
ruined  church,  the  roof  of  which  has  fallen  in;  the  walls 
still  stand,  bare  and  broken,  but  the  decorations,  some 
richly  carved  and  gilded,  are  still  unmoved  within  the 
demolished  edifice.  The  damage  was  recent,  and  repre- 
sented a  double  catastrophe  —  lightning  and  earthquake. 

We  could  not  begin  work  until  the  mozo  came  with  the 
instruments.  Finally,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we 
began  measuring  with  no  great  difficulty.  Before  night, 
fifteen  subjects  had  passed  through  our  hands  and  one  bust 
had  been  made.  Even  when  we  arrived,  at  midday,  it  was 
too  cold  for  us  to  stay  with  comfort  in  the  town-house, 
though  it  was  hot  enough  outside  in  the  sunshine.  When 
night  came,  it  was  bitter  cold,  and  we  went  to  bed  early 
in  hope  of  keeping  warm,  a  hope  without  foundation. 
Early  the  next  morning,  we  were  ready  for  our  work. 
Every  one  had  disappeared,  except  those  whom  we  had 
measured  the  night  before.  We  requested  the  town  authori- 
ties to  bring  in  subjects.  A  few  stragglers  were  dragged 
in  and  measured,  and  some  pictures  taken.  Notwithstand- 
ing the  poor  way  in  which  they  had  done  their  work,  the 
policemen  struck,  declaring  that  they  would  not  bring 
others  until  they  had  been  paid.  It  was  plain  the  town 
needed  a  lesson.  We  promptly  paid  the  demand  made 
upon  us,  and,  then,  calling  the  presidente  and  the  secretario, 
we  told  them  that  we  must  have  a  receipt  for  the  payment 
to  show  the  jefe.  We  said  that  such  a  thing  was  unheard 
of;  that,  for  town  officials  to  demand  pay,  before  they 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


would  agree  to  obey  the  order  of  their  chief,  was  mutiny. 
At  first  they  flatly  refused  to  give  the  receipt,  but  after  a 
little  consultation  were  anxious  to  return  the  money,  and 
threats  were  freely  made  to  throw  the  whole  police-force 
into  jail.  We  said  that  this  was  not  our  desire;  we  were 
surprised  at  the  demand,  but,  having  met  it,  we  insisted 
upon  having  our  receipt.  A  meeting  of  the  town  authori- 
ties being  held  to  consider  the  matter,  our  request  was  again 
refused,  but  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  some  sub- 
jects were  waiting  outside  to  be  measured  and  photographed. 
I  thereupon  refused  to  measure  or  photograph  any  person 
until  my  demand  had  been  met.  I  showed  them,  clearly, 
the  position  in  which  they  had  placed  themselves;  I  stated 
that  when  they  had  done  a  wrong,  and  a  stranger  demanded 
an  official  statement  of  the  case,  their  duty  was  simple  and 
clear.  By  this  time  my  own  party  was  in  arms;  photog- 
rapher, plaster-worker,  Manuel,  all  were  scared.  They 
insisted  that  our  throats  would  be  cut  that  night.  They 
called  attention  to  the  ugly  manner  and  black  looks  of  the 
town  authorities.  They  declared  that  we  had  better  flee, 
while  yet  there  was  opportunity;  they  insisted  that  they 
had  not  left  comfortable  homes  to  be  murdered  in  cold 
blood;  they  begged  that  I  would,  at  least,  retreat  from  the 
position  taken,  and  consent  to  measure  the  subjects  who 
were  waiting.  I  assured  them  that  it  was  far  more  impor- 
tant to  teach  the  town  a  lesson  regarding  their  duty  to  their 
higher  officials,  than  to  measure  a  few  indians.  Finally, 
after  hours  of  uncertainty,  black  looks,  mutterings,  and 
refusals,  the  town  capitulated,  and  the  receipt  was  in  my 
possession.  Having  gained  my  point,  I  called  the  attention 
of  the  town  officials  to  the  bearings  of  the  case.  I  empha- 
sized their  duty  to  the  jeje.  They  knew,  quite  well,  that 
it  was  out  of  place  to  demand  money  for  obeying  his  order; 
I  stated  that  I  appreciated  whatever  work  the  policemen 


CUICATLAN 


185 


might  have  done,  and  that,  in  due  season,  I  might  have 
recognized  it  by  a  gift,  but  that  demands  were  quite  another 
thing.  I  showed  them  how  important  it  was,  that,  when 
trouble  rose  between  them  and  a  stranger,  they  should 
furnish  any  statement  of  the  case  he  might,  in  justice,  ask. 
Having  stated  the  matter  fully,  I  consented  to  receive  back 
the  money,  and  tore  up  the  receipt  much  to  their  relief. 

Still  the  work  went  slowly.  No  one  was  left  in  town 
but  the  officials  and  some  women.  The  latter  locked  and 
barred  their  doors,  at  the  approach  of  any  of  the  town 
authorities,  and  neither  threats  to  burn  their  houses  above 
their  heads  nor  bribes  would  bring  them  forth.  It  was 
only  after  three  days  of  hard  work  that  eighty  men  and 
twenty-five  women  were  secured.  By  that  time,  it  was  plain 
that  the  other  men  were  safely  out  of  reach,  and  we  concluded 
that  naught  remained  but  to  return  to  Cuicatlan,  to  com- 
plete our  work  with  representatives  from  other  towns. 
This  we  did,  although  we  found  our  jeje  still  gentle,  mild, 
and  slow. 

Once  in  the  hot  valley,  we  concluded  that  we  might  as 
well  see  more  of  it.  Leaving  Cuicatlan  at  noon,  a  few  min- 
utes* ride  brought  us  to  the  station  at  Tecomavaca,  perhaps 
the  hottest  of  the  hot  valley  towns.  Within  it  are  ruins 
which  have  been  strangely  neglected  by  all  tourists  and 
investigators.  Probably,  the  great  heat  has  killed  what- 
ever little  enthusiasm  may  have  been  kindled  in  those  who 
have  seen  aught  of  these  ruins.  When  we  reached  the 
station,  in  the  hottest  portion  of  the  day,  the  valley  seemed 
to  glow;  all  looked  hot  and  desolate.  There  were  no 
mozos  to  help  in  carrying  baggage,  though  the  town  was 
fully  half  a  mile  from  the  station,  behind  bare,  hot,  sandy 
hills.  It  is  one  of  the  poorest  and  meanest  of  the  Mexican 
towns.  A  dreary  plaza  is  surrounded  by  miserable  adobe, 
or  adobe-plastered,  buildings.    The  only  edifices  that  looked 


i86 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


clean  and  neat  were  the  school,  jail,  and  town-house.  We 
found  shelter  at  a  sort  of  a  meson,  where  we  could  get  no 
supper  until  nine,  or  possibly  till  ten.  Rather  than  go  inside 
the  rooms,  we  took  possession  of  the  corridor,  and  there, 
with  two  cots,  a  table,  and  the  floor,  lay  down  to  rest.  But 
not  to  sleep!  The  town,  small  as  it  was,  had  twenty  cases 
of  la  grippe.  The  woman  of  the  house  where  we  were 
stopping  was  one  of  these.  Her  husband,  who  came  back 
from  the  mountains  long  after  dark,  appeared  to  have  an 
affection  and  solicitude  regarding  her,  which,  under  other 
circumstances,  might  have  been  quite  touching,  but  which, 
then,  was  thoroughly  exasperating.  While  he  cooked  his 
own  supper,  made  chocolate  for  her,  and  heated  hot  water 
for  her  use,  he  kept  passing  back  and  forth,  between  the 
kitchen  and  the  sick  chamber,  until  later  than  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  noise  which  he  made,  and  these 
repeated  movements,  kept  us  all  awake  the  whole  night 
long.  The  night  was  hot  and  close,  and  new  and  unknown 
insects  troubled  us  extremely.  We  were  glad  to  be  dressed 
and  mounted,  the  following  morning.  Riding  across  the 
river,  we  made  the  ascent  to  the  summit,  on  which  were 
the  ruins  of  Tecomavaca  Viejo.  The  ascent  was  so  ab- 
rupt that  our  horses  were  repeatedly  compelled  to  stop  for 
breath.  The  trail  passed  through  cactuses,  and  spiny 
shrubs  and  trees,  which  tore  our  clothes  more  than  all  we 
had  endured  during  weeks  of  travel.  The  ruins  are  un- 
questionably old.  The  hilly  slope  presents  a  succession  of 
terraced  platforms,  one  behind  the  other,  at  different  heights. 
The  rock  walls  between  these  are  banked  up  and  faced  with 
rock,  coated  with  plaster  and  mud;  there  are  many  pyra- 
mids and  mounds;  there  are  also  curious  subterranean, 
stone-faced,  graves.  Many  curious  disks  of  stone  were 
found,  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  and  three  or 
four  inches  thick;   these  were  all  reddish  grit,  and  had 


View  in  a  Tlaxcalan  Barranca 


CUICATLAN 


187 


plainly  been  piled  one  upon  another  to  form  pillars.  Along 
the  forward  edge  of  some  of  the  terraced  platforms,  we 
found  the  lower  discs  of  some  columns  still  in  place.  While 
the  amount  of  work,  represented  in  these  cut  terraces, 
banked  rocks,  and  subterranean  constructions,  impressed 
us  greatly,  it  was  difficult  to  get  a  clear  idea  of  the  relation- 
ship of  the  parts. 

When,  however,  we  found  ourselves  at  the  station,  wait- 
ing for  the  train,  we  looked  back  across  the  river  to  our 
three  ruin-crowned  hills.  Then,  for  the  first  time,  having 
visited  the  spot,  we  could  clearly  make  out  the  relations. 
Three  natural  mountains  or  hills,  the  greater,  central  one 
flanked  on  both  sides  by  lesser,  had  been  utilized  by  the 
old  builders;  the  natural  rock  masses  had  been  cut  and 
walled,  until  they  practically  formed  masses  of  construction, 
rising  terrace  behind  terrace,  to  the  very  summit.  When 
the  terraces  were  entire,  with  their  temple-crowned  pyra 
mids,  and  with  embankments  and  walls  in  full  repair,  these 
vast  constructions  must  have  been  indeed  impressive. 


CHAPTER  XVI 


IN  TLAXCALAN  TOWNS 


(1900) 


STREET-CAR  line,  running  for  most  of  the  dis- 


*  ^  tance  down  hill,  connects  Santa  Ana  with  Tlax- 
cala,  the  towns  being  separated  by  seven  miles.  When 
making  this  little  journey  to  Tlaxcala  in  January,  1897, 
we  noticed  in  the  car  with  us,  a  stout,  purely  indian  man, 
who  seemed  anxious  to  engage  us  in  conversation.  Know- 
ing a  few  words  of  English,  he  was  particularly  anxious  to 
practice  them.  He  called  our  attention  to  the  various  vil- 
lages, streams,  and  mountains  in  the  country  through  which 
we  were  passing,  and  took  delight  in  analyzing  the  native 
names  and  explaining  their  meanings.  When  we  were 
returning  in  the  afternoon,  we  met  a  gentleman  who  had 
been  in  the  same  car  with  us  in  the  morning,  and  we  in 
quired  regarding  our  indian  acquaintance.  He  told  us 
that  he  was  a  full-blooded  indian,  whose  native  tongue  was 
Aztec,  and  who  lived  in  Santa  Ana.  Being  the  child  of 
poor  parents,  the  state  had  assisted  in  his  education;  he 
was  now  studying  law  in  the  city  of  Puebla.  He  was  also 
a  musician,  and  on  this  occasion  had  been  upon  his  way  to 
a  public  appointment,  where  he  was  to  sing. 

Later,  in  Puebla,  we  called  upon  this  gentleman,  whose 
name  we  found  was  Quechol,  meaning  a  bird  with  a  crooked 
neck,  perhaps  a  flamingo.  He  was  interested  in  our  study, 
and  said  we  ought  some  time  to  visit  the  indian  towns  of 
his  people  upon  the  slopes  of  Malintzi.  In  January,  1900, 
having  been  delayed  in  our  plans,  we  decided  to  spend  a 


IN  TLAXCALAN  TOWNS  189 


few  days  in  Tlaxcala,  and  secured  his  company.  Our 
preparations  were  made  at  Santa  Ana;  at  the  home  of  his 
parents  we  were  hospitably  welcomed,  and  chocolate  and 
bread  were  furnished,  before  we  started  on  our  journey. 
While  this  refreshment  was  preparing,  we  visited  the  old 
church,  in  front  of  which  stood  an  aged  cypress  tree,  hung 
with  gray  moss  and  blazing  with  red  flowers.  We  also 
entered  some  of  the  houses,  where,  on  domestic  looms,  the 
serapes  for  which  the  town  is  famous  are  manufactured. 
We  visited  also  a  private  school  for  girls,  established  by  a 
Senor  Barela,  who  is  noted  as  the  first  to  introduce  the  in- 
dustry of  weaving  wool  into  this  community.  While  the 
memory  of  this  gentleman  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  this 
people,  that  of  his  wife  is  by  no  means  savory.  It  seems  that 
she  was  an  avaricious,  vain  and  selfish  woman,  with  no 
sympathy  for  his  schemes  for  the  betterment  of  the  people. 
Her  feeling  was  well  known,  and  she  died  heartily  hated 
by  all.  When  the  time  came  for  her  burial,  the  grave  was 
prepared,  and  her  body  placed  within  it.  But  the  earth 
twice  refused  to  receive  the  corpse.  It  was  then  carried  to 
to  the  Sawapa,  near  by,  and  thrown  into  its  waters.  The 
stream  overflowed  its  banks,  and  tossed  the  body  upon  the 
ground;  again  the  effort  was  made  to  thus  dispose  of  it, 
but  again  it  was  thrown  upon  the  shore.  It  was  then  sug- 
gested that  it  be  carried  to  "the  Cuezcomate,"  an  extinct 
geyser-crater,  famous  through  all  the  country,  and  popu- 
larly believed  to  be  the  mouth  of  hell;  when  the  body  was 
thrown  into  this  opening,  it  is  said  the  devils  were  seen  to 
swarm  upward  to  receive  it. 

It  was  almost  noon  as  our  little  party  started  on  foot  in 
the  direction  of  Malintzi.  Our  indian  friend,  his  brother,  a 
white  friend,  our  photographer,  our  Mexican  boy  and  ourself , 
made  up  the  party,  and  we  were  followed  by  three  mozos  on 
foot  carrying  supplies  of  food.    We  struck  out  over  a  sandy 


190 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


plain,  where  the  foot  sunk  deep  into  dry  sand,  until  we  finally 
reached  a  well-built  wall  of  stone,  considered  in  the  district 
a  notable  piece  of  engineering.  It  was  constructed  to  turn 
the  course  of  a  little  stream  which,  in  times  of  flood,  has  fre- 
quently done  damage  to  the  town.  From  here,  our  trail 
led  us  on  through  the  sandy  pine-scrub,  broken  now  and 
then  by  narrow  gullies,  called  barrancas,  with  almost  verti- 
cal sides.  In  every  case,  we  were  obliged  to  descend  into 
these  gullies  and  climb  out  upon  the  other  side.  After  one 
and  a  half  hours  of  walking  we  reached  the  village  of  San 
Pedro,  where  we  stopped  for  dinner.  The  two  Americans 
accompanying  us  lay  down  upon  the  ground,  completely 
tired  out,  and  were  fast  asleep  within  five  minutes.  Man- 
uel assisted  the  local  cook  in  preparing  dinner,  while  we 
talked  with  visitors  until  the  meal  was  ready.  The  houses 
of  San  Pedro  are  well  constructed  of  stone,  set  in  adobe,  and 
have  well-thatched  roofs.  The  granaries,  or  cuezcomates, 
are  of  unusual  size  and  well  built.  They  range  from  six 
or  eight  feet  in  height  to  twelve  or  more,  and  are  shaped 
like  great  urns,  open  at  the  top,  which  is  protected  by  a 
thatch,  generally  two-pitched.  The  temascals  were  also 
unusually  well  built  of  stone,  and  frequently  were  neatly 
covered  with  white  plaster.  Soon  after  leaving  San  Pedro, 
in  the  afternoon,  we  came  upon  two  indian  boys  digging 
in  the  ground.  Inquiring  what  they  were  doing,  we  learned 
that  they  were  hunting  honey-ants,  and  in  a  moment  our 
whole  party  was  engaged  in  the  same  operation.  These 
ants  were  found  some  inches  below  the  surface,  either 
singly,  or  in  roundish  holes  containing  half  a  dozen  or  more ; 
the  abdomen  was  swelled  until  it  was  as  round  as  a  pea  and 
as  large  as  a  fair-sized  currant,  and  was  filled  with  honey. 
To  get  the  sweet  liquid,  one  takes  the  insect  by  the  head  or 
forward  body  and  pressing  the  honey  bag  sucks  out  the  con- 
tents.   It  is  sweet  and  rich,  with  a  little  twang,  as  if  fer- 


IN  TLAXCALAN  TOWNS 


191 


men  ted,  and  people  in  the  district  call  it  honey- wine.  Three 
quarters  of  an  hour  brought  us  to  San  Francisco,  though 
we  had  to  go  down  and  up  two  large  barrancas  before  we 
reached  the  town.  It  was  almost  sunset  when  we  arrived. 
Sitting  down  before  the  town-house,  we  sent  for  the  agente. 
Soon  after  our  arrival  the  church- bell  rang  furiously,  and  the 
din  and  clangor  was  kept  up  a  long  time.  While  waiting 
for  the  official,  supper  was  prepared,  though  we  had  had 
some  difficulty  in  arranging  for  it,  and  were  in  doubt  as  to 
where  we  were  to  spend  the  night.  Before  supper  was 
ready,  a  motley  crowd  poured  into  the  room  in  which  we 
sat.  One  large  fellow  carried  a  great  sword  strapped  at  his 
.  side,  another  bore  a  short  sword,  another  a  knife,  another 
a  large  and  ancient  gun.  Probably  there  were  other 
weapons  not  in  sight.  This  group  of  indians  was  the 
agente  and  his  guardia.  We  were  objects  of  suspicion, 
and  much  argument,  and  an  abundant  supply  of  huitzatl  — 
strong  drink  —  were  necessary,  before  we  secured  permis- 
sion to  spend  the  night  at  the  house  where  we  were  to  have 
supper.  No  sooner  had  this  company  withdrawn  and 
supper  been  eaten,  than  we  prepared  for  bed.  One  wooden 
bed,  with  a  mat  of  rushes,  served  for  Senor  Quechol  and 
myself.  A  second  mat,  laid  on  the  floor,  formed  the  bed 
for  our  four  companions.  In  the  morning,  we  took  a  walk 
to  Akxotla,  where  we  wished  to  see  an  ancient  painting. 
Here  we  encountered  greater  suspicion  than  before,  and, 
after  wasting  the  greater  part  of  the  day,  accomplished 
nothing.  It  is  true  an  indian  made  a  camalpa  for  us. 
This  is  a  stringed  musical  instrument;  though  the  name  is 
Aztec,  it  is  unlikely  that  it  was  known  before  the  coming  of 
the  Spaniards.  Quechol  says  the  word  means  mouth-harp, 
coming  from  the  Aztec  cam,  mouth,  and  the  Spanish  harpa, 
harp.  We  returned  to  San  Francisco  for  our  dinner,  and 
at  four  o'clock  again  started  on  our  journey. 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


It  was  after  five  before  we  reached  San  Bartolome. 
As  we  drew  near  the  village,  we  saw  a  magnificent  double 
rainbow,  brilliantly  displayed  upon  the  eastern  sky  against 
a  cloud  of  almost  inky  blackness.  Looking  westward,  as 
we  entered  the  village,  we  saw  the  sun  setting  in  a  sea  of 
gold,  between  Popocatapetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl.  Watching 
this  magnificent  sunset,  we  sat  down  before  the  old  church, 
and  almost  instantly  a  crowd  gathered  to  see  what  the 
strangers  might  want.  Don  Romualdo,  in  wandering 
through  the  village,  found  a  temascal  in  use,  and  hurrying 
to  us,  led  us  to  see  the  method  of  its  use.  It  is  a  dome- 
shaped  structure,  with  an  entrance  so  low  that  one  must 
crawl  upon  his  hands  and  knees  in  entering;  it  is  a  sweat- 
bath,  used  for  cleanliness  and  health.  A  quick  fire,  built 
inside,  heats  it  thoroughly,  after  which  water  is  thrown  upon 
the  hot  stones  to  produce  steam.  Four  persons,  of  both 
sexes,  were  in  the  one  in  question,  taking  a  sweat-bath. 
When  we  returned  to  our  companions,  sitting  before  the 
church,  an  indian  of  the  village,  accosting  Don  Romualdo, 
claimed  to  know  him;  he  also  claimed  my  acquaintance, 
and  reminded  me  that  he  had  been  one  of  the  subjects  I 
had  measured  two  years  before  in  Tlaxcala.  A  score  or 
more  of  natives  had  gathered,  in  the  moonlight,  around  our 
party.  Having  heard  some  indians  singing,  we  tried  to 
get  these  to  sing  some  native  songs.  Only  after  Louis  and 
Frank  had  sung  some  English  songs,  which  were  well 
received,  were  we  able  to  hear  Aztec  songs  in  exchange. 
After  a  long  delay,  we  were  taken  to  the  school-house  for 
supper  and  the  night,  and  spent  the  balance  of  the  evening 
in  taking  down  a  native  song,  The  Tlaxcalteca,  and  wit- 
nessing a  dance  which  accompanied  it.  A  bed  was  made 
up  for  the  party  by  putting  various  benches  and  tables 
together. 

Most  of  the  following  day  was  spent  in  visiting  in  the 


Tlaxcalan  House  with  Temascal 


The  Mapaho  in  Use;  San  Juan  Zautla 


IN  TLAXCALAN  TOWNS 


193 


village,  purchasing  idols  and  in  making  notes  on  life  and 
customs;  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  we  set  out  for 
Ixcotla.  Near  sunset  we  reached  the  house  of  QuechoPs 
uncle,  old  Isidro.  Almost  eighty  years  of  age,  he  was 
straight  and  lithe  as  a  man  of  thirty.  His  house  and  all 
the  lesser  buildings  of  his  place  were  excellent  and  in  fine 
condition.  A  flight  of  steps  led  to  the  flat  roof,  from  which 
we  watched  the  sunset.  In  the  yard,  were  half  a  dozen 
hives  for  bees,  made  from  the  stocks  of  the  maguey.  The 
old  man  was  rich,  and  owned  other  houses,  but  he  lives 
alone,  his  wife  being  dead  and  his  daughters  married.  He 
is  a  master  of  the  Aztec,  and  uses  it  in  its  most  poetical 
and  figurative  style.  He  does  not  speak  like  common  men, 
but  his  conversation  abounds  in  metaphor  and  flowers  of 
speech.  When  once  one  spoke  to  him  of  his  lonely  and 
solitary  life,  he  said,  " Alone  and  solitary!  No,  we  are 
three!  There  are  here  myself,  my  good  angel,  and  my 
bad  angel.  I  am  never  alone."  Isidro  knows  all  the 
boundaries  of  the  fields,  and  can  trace  all  the  titles,  and  is 
frequently  appealed  to  in  land  disputes,  and  even  in  law 
cases,  is  summoned  to  give  testimony.  He  received  us 
heartily,  offered  cigarettes  and  ordered  supper.  To  re- 
fresh us,  he  broke  fresh  leaves  from  the  orange-tree  and 
steeped  them  in  hot  water,  sweetening  with  sugar.  After 
supper,  good  beds  were  made  upon  the  floor,  with  plenty  of 
mats  and  blankets. 

We  had  hardly  risen  in  the  morning,  when  the  village 
was  thrown  into  great  excitement  by  the  appearance  of  a 
band  of  soldiers.  They  had  come  to  arrest  a  young  man 
supposed  to  be  a  leader  in  the  local  opposition  to  Governor 
Cahuantzi.  This  opposition  was  just  at  fever  heat;  the 
election  was  approaching,  and  a  fierce  effort  was  being 
made  to  oust  the  governor.  Forty-four  towns  were  in  open 
rebellion,  among  them,  all  of  those  which  we  had  visited. 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


There  had  been  new  laws  passed  regarding  land  and  taxes; 
these  had  been  resisted.  The  governor  had  threatened 
to  send  engineers  to  make  new  surveys,  and  to  bring  land- 
titles  into  question.  The  suspicion  and  distrust  which  we 
had  met  were  doubtless,  in  large  part,  due  to  these  meas- 
ures, and  the  fear  that  we  were  government  spies.  So  great 
was  the  discontent,  and  so  openly  expressed,  that  it  was 
said  that  on  the  Saturday  preceding,  in  the  Plaza  of  Tlax- 
cala  itself,  there  was  a  riot,  with  cries  of  derision  and  con- 
tempt, and  firing  of  guns  upon  the  palace.  We  were  told 
that  the  nearest  haciendero,  who  was  friendly  to  the  gov- 
ernor, was  marked  for  assassination  and  would  be  killed 
within  the  next  few  days. 

Leaving  at  ten  next  morning,  we  skirted  Santa  Ana, 
and,  having  passed  through  San  Pablo,  came  out  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Sawapa.  This  pretty  stream  has  reputed 
remedial  power,  and  in  May  hundreds  of  people  bathe  in 
its  waters,  to  protect  themselves  against  smallpox.  As 
we  crossed  the  great  stone  bridge,  we  met  a  drunken  indian 
who  attached  himself  to  our  party.  Between  him  and  the 
Mexican  members  of  our  party,  there  arose  hostility  and 
an  exchange  of  angry  words.  To  us,  personally,  he  was 
maudlinly  affectionate  and  respectful.  Finally,  shaking 
him  off,  after  climbing  a  considerable  height,  we  stopped 
at  Belen  for  a  noonday  rest  and  lunch.  Dinner  having 
been  ordered,  we  seated  ourselves  in  the  shade,  when  our 
drunken  friend  again  appeared  upon  the  scene,  and  in  great 
excitement,  begged  me  to  move,  as  it  was  certain  death 
for  a  heated  and  perspiring  person  to  sit  in  the  shadow  of 
a  Peru  tree.  So  persistent  was  he,  that  Quehcol  and  Man- 
uel lost  all  patience,  and  ordered  the  local  officials  to  arrest 
him. 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  we  were  again  upon 
the  road;  having  passed  the  bare,  fortress-like  church  of 


IN  TLAXCALAN  TOWNS  195 


San  Mateo,  and  descended  a  long  hill,  toward  evening 
we  crossed  a  fine  bridge  over  a  gorge  of  black  basaltic  rock, 
and  shortly  reached  Santa  Maria  Atlihuitzia,  where  we 
planned  to  spend  the  night.  Here  is  a  fine  old  church, 
with  a  facade  absolutely  covered  with  elaborate  carving; 
a  square  tower  rises  at  one  corner.  The  great  altar  is  a 
magnificent  piece  of  carving  and  gold  work;  the  windows 
are  set  with  thin  slabs  of  onyx.  Within,  near  the  church- 
door,  are  two  paintings  representing  the  scene  of  mayrtr- 
dom  for  which  the  town  is  famous.  These  pictures  are 
ancient,  and  represent  some  interesting  details  of  indian 
life  at  the  time  of  the  Conquest.  The  head-dress  and 
mantle  of  feathers  worn  by  the  old  chieftain,  the  dress  and 
hair-dressing  of  his  wife,  war  weapons  and  buildings  are 
all  shown.  Here,  in  1527,  the  boy  Cristoval,  child  of  the 
great  chief  Acxotecatl  and  his  wife  Apalxitzin,  was  killed 
by  his  father  because  he  would  not  renounce  Christianity. 
The  little  lad  was  only  thirteen  years  of  age,  and  had  been 
trained  by  Spanish  priests.  He  was  the  proto-martyr  of 
the  new  world,  and  the  story  of  his  martyrdom  and  the  early 
church  in  Tlaxcala,  have  been  charmingly  narrated  by 
Mendieta.  Close  by  the  church  stand  the  ruined  walls 
of  the  monastery,  impressive  for  their  massive  construction 
and  the  enormous  space  which  was  enclosed.  It  was  dark 
before  we  finished  the  examination  of  these  quaint  and 
interesting  old  buildings,  and  we  were  glad  enough  to  go 
to  the  house  of  the  secretario>  where  we  found  good  beds 
and  elaborate  furniture.  In  the  room  where  we  were  to 
sleep  there  was  a  nacimiento,  made  in  connection  with  the 
Christmas  season.  The  table  was  covered  with  little  land- 
scapes, scattered  over  which  were  figures  of  many  kinds, 
including  a  group  of  San  Jose,  Maria,  and  the  infant  Christ. 

Santa  Maria  is  purely  mestizo.  In  the  morning,  finding 
breakfast  somewhat  slow,  we  started  for  a  walk,  and  pass- 


196 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ing  by  the  old  church,  came  shortly  to  the  spot  where  the 
boy  martyr  was  killed.  From  here  we  descended,  over  a 
long  slope  of  gray  tufa,  to  a  pretty  stream  flowing  through 
black  basalt.  The  rock  is  hard  and  shiny  with  cells  or 
air-bubbles  scattered  through  its  mass.  Close  by  the 
water's  edge  we  were  shown  some  curious  impressions,  on 
the  nearly  level  surface  of  the  rock,  which  were  said  to  be 
the  imprints  of  the  knees  of  the  Holy  Virgin  as  she  knelt 
here  to  wash  clothes  in  the  brook;  there  are  also  grooves 
made  by  the  Virgin's  fingers  as  she  scrubbed  the  clothing 
on  the  rock;  by  the  side  of  these  impressions  are  two  hol- 
lows, marking  the  spot  where  the  Holy  Child  sat  with  its 
mother  as  she  worked.  On  the  rock  behind  is  the  impres- 
sion of  a  mule's  foot.  Formerly  there  were  two  of  these 
impressions,  but  in  1888  a  tornado  broke  away  the  mass  of 
rock,  on  which  was  the  other  impression.  Just  below  this 
place  the  stream  leaps  in  a  pretty  cascade  which,  with  its 
white  foam,  contrasts  strikingly  with  the  black  rock.  The 
trail  followed  by  Cortez  on  his  way  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Tlax- 
cala  was  pointed  out  to  us  and  we  were  told  that  Atlihuit- 
zia  in  those  days  was  an  important  city,  numbering  five 
thousand  solteros  (unmarried  men).  On  the  way  back  to 
the  village,  we  visited  the  arbol  huerjano  —  orphan  tree  —  a 
cypress,  so  called  because  it  is  the  only  tree  of  its  kind  in  this 
district.  Quechol  says  that  a  long  line  of  such  trees,  at  a 
•distance  of  several  leagues  apart,  was  planted  by  the  Span- 
iards, and  he  and  the  villagers  mentioned  a  number  of  them 
in  different  places.  Passing  once  more  by  the  spot  of 
martyrdom,  a  white  capulin  was  pointed  out,  as  being  the 
very  tree  represented  in  the  picture  of  the  killing. 

It  was  now  almost  ten  o'clock  and  we  found  breakfast 
waiting.  At  Quechol's  request,  it  was  a  purely  Mexican 
meal,  consisting  of  Aztec  dishes.  We  had  taniales,  atole, 
and,  for  the  first  time,  champurado.    The  latter  is  atole 


IN  TLAXCALAN  TOWNS 


197 


—  corn  gruel  —  mixed  with  chocolate,  and  is  really  an 
excellent  dish.  After  breakfast,  we  left  our  friends  of  Atli- 
huitzia  and  hastened  back  over  the  same  road  past  San 
Mateo,  Belen,  San  Pablo,  and  Santa  Ana.  The  way  was 
long  and  the  sun  was  hot,  but  the  road  was  beguiled  with 
many  stories  regarding  the  places  that  we  passed,  for  the 
whole  state  of  Tlaxcala  abounds  in  legend. 


CHAPTER  XVII 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA 
(1900) 

/^\NCE  more  we  found  ourselves  in  picturesque  Cui- 
catlan.  Walking  up  the  familiar  street,  we  again 
found  lodging  with  Dona  Serafina.  Having  settled,  and 
taken  a  look  out  over  the  beautiful  landscape  visible  through 
our  windows,  we  interviewed  the  jefe  politico,  whom  we 
we  found  the  same  nerveless,  well-meaning  individual  as 
ever.  After  grumbling,  and  insisting  that  it  was  impossible 
to  fit  us  out  on  such  short  notice,  he  finally  promised  that 
all  should  be  ready  the  next  morning.  It  was  a  sorry  outfit 
that  we  found ;  one  medium-sized  mule  for  myself,  and  four 
small  burros  for  the  other  members  of  the  party.  A  boy 
from  the  jail  was  sent  with  us  as  mozo  to  carry  our  instru- 
ments. It  was  still  early  when  we  started  through  the  hot, 
sandy,  flat  land,  covered  with  gigantic  cactus  trees,  which 
swarmed  with  little  birds  of  many  beautiful  kinds.  We  soon 
began  to  climb  the  great,  red  rock  cliffs,  up,  and  up,  and 
up,  endlessly.  We  had  forgotten  how  long  the  road  was; 
but  it  was  longer  than  ever  on  account  of  the  beasts  we 
rode.  Long  before  we  reached  Papalo,  Manuel  and  Louis 
were  on  foot,  rather  than  longer  submit  to  the  torture  of 
riding  their  little  burros.  As  we  neared  the  town,  we  were 
surprised  to  find  a  cloud  effect  almost  as  fine  as  that  near 
Juquila  in  the  Mixe  country.  Had  it  had  clearly  defined 
banks  on  both  sides,  its  resemblance  to  a  cataract  would 
have  been  complete.  As  it  was,  there  was  no  boundary 
back  of  the  side  towards  us,  and  the  clouds  plunged  over 

198 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA 


and  downward  as  well  as  in  the  direction  of  the  flow  of  the 
main  mass.  No  one  in  the  town  recognized  us.  Supper 
and  a  night's  lodging  were  readily  supplied,  but  when  we 
wished  to  secure  new  animals  for  the  onward  journey,  there 
was  difficulty.  They  were  promised,  indeed,  for  seven 
o'clock,  but  it  was  long  after  eight  before  we  saw  any  signs 
of  their  appearance.  Remonstrating,  we  were  told  that 
there  was  other  business  to  attend  to,  and  that  the  town 
officials  could  not  devote  themselves  to  us.  With  great 
difficulty,  by  10  o'clock  all  preparations  were  made,  and  we 
started  on  the  journey.  The  animals  were  not  bad,  but 
we  had  been  told  that  there  were  eight  leagues  of  hard  road 
between  us  and  Tepanapa,  and  six  more  from  there  to  San 
Juan  Zautla,  our  destination;  we  were  told  that  we  should 
spend  the  night  at  Tepanapa,  reaching  Zautla  the  second 
day.  As  we  left  the  town  we  overtook  a  funeral  procession 
on  its  way  to  the  little  hill-crest  cemetery  which  we  passed 
soon  after.  At  first  the  road  was  good,  gradually  ascend- 
ing. It  led  us  up  a  rising  pine-covered  crest,  with  a  little 
hollow  of  deciduous  trees  in  the  midst.  We  were  again 
getting  into  a  region  where  the  great  hills  presented  two 
differing  slopes,  one  dry,  pine-clad;  the  other  moist  and 
covered  with  the  dense  tropical  forest.  We  soon  found  our- 
selves upon  the  damp  slope  in  a  forest,  almost  the  counter- 
part of  those  with  which  we  were  familiar  in  the  land  of  the 
Mixes.  Great  oaks  were  loaded  with  bromelias  and  dotted 
with  orchids;  ferns  of  many  beautiful  kinds  grew  along  the 
roadside.  Unlike  the  forest  of  the  the  Mixes,  the  trees  here 
were  hung  with  masses  of  golden-yellow  moss,  presenting  a 
curious  and  mysterious  aspect.  From  here,  the  trail  de- 
scended rapidly  over  surfaces  of  slippery  stone  and  patches 
of  mud;  the  air  was  heavier  and  heavier  with  moisture. 
Ferns  abounded,  and  presently  great  tree  ferns  were  to  be 
seen,  here  and  there,  in  all  directions.    Shortly,  our  road 


200 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


was  through  a  true  gorge,  where  the  footing  for  the  horses 
was  precarious.  Great  masses  of  lycopods  of  several  species 
covered  the  rocks  and  little  round  tufts  of  a  dark  green  plant 
with  feathery  foliage  dotted  the  decaying  tree  trunks. 
The  descent  seemed  endless,  and  for  more  than  two  hours 
we  descended  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  dampness  and 
darkness.  It  was  six  o'clock  when  we  came  out  upon  a 
slope  where  the  trail  was  easier  and  almost  level,  and  it 
was  after  dark  before  we  reached  the  first  hut  of  the  miser- 
able ranchito  of  Tepanapa.  Checking  our  horses,  we 
called,  but  received  no  answer.  Sending  our  mozo  to  the 
house,  we  asked  for  food  and  shelter,  but  were  refused 
everything,  as  they  said  that  they  were  in  bed.  A  little 
lad,  however,  agreed  to  show  us  to  the  next  hut,  and  we 
followed  him  as  well  as  we  could  in  the  darkness  and  over 
the  slippery  road,  some  rods  further.  We  found  there  two 
empty  huts  within  an  enclosure,  and,  taking  possession  of 
one,  brought  in  our  things  out  of  the  mist,  and  soon  had  a 
fire  built  and  a  candle  lighted.  In  vain  we  urged  our  mozo 
to  hunt  for  food.  He  said  that  all  the  houses  were  empty, 
and,  if  perchance  one  were  occupied,  no  one  would  turn  out 
so  late  to  supply  us.  All  were  extremely  hungry,  as  we  had 
eaten  nothing  since  morning  except  a  tortilla  or  two  with 
some  eggs  as  we  rode  along.  Manuel,  Louis  and  Frank 
slept  in  the  loft,  Ramon  and  I  upon  the  floor  below.  The 
two  mozos  with  the  saddles  slept  in  the  other  hut.  The 
night  was  cold  and  the  damp  air  penetrating.  We  arose 
early  to  go  upon  our  way,  but  unfortunately  yielded  to  the 
request  of  Louis  and  Ramon,  permitting  them  to  go  in 
search  of  food.  Two  full  hours  passed  before  they  returned 
with  a  few  tortillas  and  two  eggs;  so  that  it  was  half-past- 
eight  when  finally  we  started. 

The  road  was  slippery  and  muddy,  descending  constant- 
ly; a  large  portion  of  the  way  was  through  woods:  at  the 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA 


20I 


bottom  of  the  slope  we  found  ourselves  by  a  fine  brook, 
which  we  forded.  Then  began  an  ascent  as  precipitous, 
slippery  and  unpleasant.  The  trail  followed  the  bank  of 
the  stream.  Passing  through  a  dense  jungle  of  vegetation, 
where  the  air  was  hot  and  wet,  the  flora  was  characteristic. 
Trees  with  large,  coarse,  broad  pods  enclosing  two  or  three 
great  seeds,  trees  with  acorn-shaped  red  fruits,  quantities 
of  sensitive  plants  covered  with  pink  flowers,  occasional 
orchids  bearing  flowers  of  brilliant  flame  color,  and  vines 
with  lovely  blue  pea-flowers  made  up  the  bulk  of  the  tan- 
gled growth  through  which  we  passed.  At  two  places  we 
crossed  pretty  streams,  with  cascades  and  narrow  gorges, 
opening  on  to  the  gorge  along  the  sides  of  which  we  were 
travelling;  where  these  streams  crossed  our  trail  there  were 
great  masses  of  caladiums  with  their  leaves  of  green  velvet. 
We  passed  two  little  coffee  plantations,  the  first  of  which  was 
sadly  neglected  and  overgrown  with  weeds,  the  second 
neatly  kept.  From  this  we  rose  again,  and  having  gained 
the  summit,  looked  down  upon  the  village  of  San  Juan 
Zautla. 

Riding  to  the  town-house,  we  met  the  presidente  and 
secretario,  the  latter  an  intelligent  fellow,  who  told  us  that 
the  town  was  dwindling,  numbering  at  present  but  80  con- 
tribuentes.  He  ordered  a  capital  dinner  for  us  of  chicken, 
fried  bananas,  eggs,  jrijoles,  tortillas  and  coffee.  Though 
the  secretario  was  intelligent,  the  presidente  was  otherwise. 
He  was  good-natured,  but  a  fool.  With  pride  he  frequently 
remarked,  "yo  soy  presidente"  (I  am  president).  Then 
he  whispered  and  mumbled,  kissed  my  hand,  assumed  an 
air  of  great  intelligence,  and  walked  off  with  a  peculiar  totter- 
ing movement.  These  performances  took  place  not  once 
or  twice,  but  every  time  the  official  made  his  appearance. 
Having  fed  us,  the  secretario  disappeared,  and  did  no  more 
for  us.    While  waiting  for  him,  our  attention  was  attracted 


202 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


by  a  curious  drumming  noise.  It  was  due  to  women  who 
were  beating  cotton.  At  the  first  house  we  visited  we  found 
three  women  all  busily  occupied.  An  old  woman  sitting 
in  the  doorway  was  spinning  thread;  a  second,  somewhat 
younger  woman  with  a  baby  in  a  blanket  on  her  back, 
sitting  on  the  ground,  was  weaving  cloth;  a  third  woman 
sat,  with  a  great  cushion  of  moss  in  a  bag  of  matting  on  the 
ground  before  her,  over  which  was  spread  a  deer-skin  on 
which  was  laid  raw  cotton,  which  she  briskly  beat  with 
beaters  made  of  five  or  six  divergent  sticks  fastened  together 
at  one  end.  Such  beating  sticks  are  called  mapaho;  one 
is  held  in  each  hand,  and  the  beating  is  briskly  done,  alter- 
nately with  one  and  the  other;  the  beating  is  intended  to 
spread  the  raw  cotton  into  a  thin  and  even  sheet  before  it 
is  spun  into  thread.  Returning  to  the  town-house,  we  began 
our  work,  but  were  soon  interrupted.  The  town  is  sit- 
uated on  a  slope  over  which  the  houses  are  scattered.  From 
the  porch  of  the  municipal  house  where  we  sat,  we  could 
see  several  huts  upon  the  slope  above.  Groups  of  women 
and  children  gathered  on  the  little  terraces  before  the  houses 
to  look  down  upon  us  at  our  work.  The  presidente  and 
other  officials  had  gone  to  bring  us  subjects,  when  we  heard 
an  outcry  upon  one  of  these  terraces.  A  man  cried  out  to 
the  officials;  struggled,  apparently  with  a  woman,  then 
fell.  The  police  rushed  up  the  path.  A  moment  later  a 
surging  crowd  of  a  dozen  persons  were  struggling  together 
with  cries  and  shouts.  In  spite  of  the  commands  of  the 
segundo  secretario,  we  started  for  the  scene  of  the  dis- 
turbance, but  long  before  we  reached  the  spot,  met  a  big 
topil  with  his  head  cut  open  and  blood  streaming  down  his 
face,  soaking  his  garments.  His  arm  was  thrown  around 
another  man's  neck,  whose  wrist  he  held,  dragging  him 
thus  a  prisoner  toward  the  jail.  Two  others  followed, 
holding  a  bad-looking  little  man  between  them.    The  two 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA 


203 


had  fought,  and  when  the  topil  tried  to  take  them,  the  little 
man,  seizing  a  rock,  split  open  his  head.  The  two  persons 
were  thrust  into  the  jail  and  a  guard  set.  Great  effort 
was  made  to  find  the  stone  with  which  the  blow  was  dealt, 
in  order  that  it  might  be  used  as  evidence.  The  secretario 
told  the  topil  not  to  staunch  nor  wash  the  wound.  With 
natural  curiosity,  the  presidente  and  other  men  were  clus- 
tered around  the  jail,  looking  in  at  the  prisoners,  when  the 
segundo  secretario  ordered  them  from  the  door. 

This  man  is  a  strange  one.  He  is  a  Cuicatec,  who  mar- 
ried a  Chinatec  wife.  He  is  little,  but  important.  He  ever 
carries  a  queer  old  sword.  When  he  first  appeared  before 
us,  he  impressively  said,  "No  tengas  cuidado"  (Have  no 
care.)  He  told  us  that  our  comfort  and  our  orders  should 
be  cared  for,  even  though  we  were  in  a  pueblo  of  mere 
brutes,  unreasoning  beings;  he  should  charge  himself  and 
the  officials  with  our  needs.  There  were  scarce  three  hours 
of  daylight  in  the  afternoon,  and  night  set  in  chilly  and 
damp.  Meantime,  the  secretario,  the  segundo,  the  presi- 
dente and  the  topils,  all  had  disappeared.  In  vain  we 
urged  that  arrangements  should  be  made  for  fuel,  for  beds, 
and  for  a  niozo,  whom  we  had  ordered  should  be  supplied 
to  accompany  the  man  from  Papalo  back  to  that  town  with 
the  horses.  It  was  now  dark  and  late,  with  no  sign  of 
attention  to  our  wishes.  Through  the  darkness,  we  picked 
our  way  over  a  muddy  road,  slippery  and  soaked  with 
water,  to  the  secretary's  house,  where  we  forcibly  made 
known  our  wishes,  and  said  that  attention  must  be  paid  to 
them.  Before  we  got  back  to  the  town-house  our  shoes  were 
soaked  with  water  and  heavy  with  mud,  while  our  clothing 
was  soaked  through  with  moisture  from  the  air  filled  with 
mist  and  drizzling  rain;  and  this  in  the  midst  of  the  dry 
season ! 

During  the  afternoon,  we  had  seen  a  curious- looking 


204 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


indian,  dressed  in  a  red  flannel  shirt,  white  drawers  and  a 
cap,  but  with  the  regular  red  Chinantec  neck-cloth.  He 
was  a  Mixtec  from  San  Francisco  Huitzo,  who  is  in  charge 
of  the  well-kept  little  coffee  finca  which  we  passed  upon 
the  road.  He  showed  us  a  bottle  of  coffee  essence  of  his 
manufacture.  It  was  a  heavy,  oily,  clear  liquid  which  I 
understood  he  had  distilled  from  a  weaker  and  darker 
coffee  extract.  It  was  exceedingly  strong,  and  was  sup- 
posed to  be  used  for  making  coffee,  a  small  quantity  of  the 
essence  being  put  into  a  cup  with  hot  water  and  sugar. 
He  desired  us  to  test  this,  but  a  look  at  it  was  quite  suffi- 
cient. He  was  a  handy  fellow,  and  did  much  to  hasten  the 
fulfillment  of  our  orders.  Under  his  direction,  sleeping 
mats  were  brought,  and  he,  himself,  served  our  supper, 
when  finally  it  was  ready.  We  were  so  tired  that  directly 
after  supper  we  laid  down  upon  the  mats  spread  on  the 
damp  earthen  floor.  We  had  hoped  to  start  our  man  from 
Papalo  back  with  our  horses  early;  the  officials  had  prom- 
ised that  the  mozo  to  accompany  him  should  be  ready;  but, 
of  course,  neither  breakfast  nor  mozo  was  to  be  seen.  So 
we  again  started  for  the  secretary's  house.  The  secre- 
tario  himself  was  lying  drunk  in  bed,  and  the  segundo  was 
almost  as  bad.  In  vigorous  words  I  made  known  my  dis- 
satisfaction. The  segundo,  with  his  sword  in  one  hand  and 
tortillas  in  the  other,  almost  too  drunk  to  walk,  led  us  to 
the  town-house  and  summoned  the  people  before  him. 
He  thundered  forth  his  orders:  "You  dogs,  children  of  a 
degraded  race!  Wretched  brutes!  What  do  you  mean? 
Why  are  you  not  bringing  in  breakfast  for  these  gentlemen  ? 
Eggs,  tortillas,  jrijoles,  chicken?  Why  are  you  not  sup- 
plying them?  Obey  his  order.  Fulfill  your  duty.  You 
hear?  If  you  do  not  fulfill  your  duty,  you  shall  be  pun- 
ished. Hear  and  obey  at  once."  Under  this  impulse  the 
men  started  and  breakfast  was  soon  disposed  of. 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA 


Work  being  slack,  the  boys  went  bird-hunting.  Manuel 
fetched  in  a  rara  avis,  a  little  old  man  of  95  years,  who  had 
-an  extra  thumb  on  his  right  hand.  Notwithstanding  the 
small  population  of  the  town,  there  were  three  cases  of  extra 
digits.  In  addition  to  this  old  man  with  his  extra  thumb, 
two  persons  in  the  town  each  had  an  extra  toe  upon  one 
foot.  We  have  already  stated  that  the  presidente  of  the 
village  was  a  fool.  He  had  plenty  of  companions.  One 
of  the  men,  who  made  himself  quite  useful  to  us  was  an 
imbecile;  he  crossed  himself,  kissed  our  hands,  nodded  his 
head,  and  told  us  the  most  surprising  things  in  regard  to 
the  subjects  whom  he  brought  before  us.  In  connection 
with  each  case  he  cried  and  carried  on  at  a  great  rate,  and 
finally  insisted  that  he  was  going  to  bring  me  a  raw  egg  as  an 
offering  of  friendship,  which  he  did.  One  of  his  subjects 
was  his  cousin,  who  was  both  idiotic  and  a  deaf-mute.  My 
impression  was  that  there  were  several  cases  of  deaf-mutism 
in  the  village.  One  man,  whenever  any  of  our  party  spoke 
to  him,  or  in  any  way  turned  our  attention  to  him,  piously 
and  vigorously  crossed  himself,  grimaced  and  gesticulated 
as  if  in  a  fit.  One  man,  who  seemed  exceptionally  intelli- 
gent, after  he  had  seen  us  make  a  plaster  bust  of  one  of  his 
townfellows,  stated  with  great  delight,  that  it  was  an  idol, 
representing  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  we  were  going  to  use  it 
in  the  church.  Unlike  any  other  indian  town  we  have 
visited,  there  is  not  even  the  pretence  of  an  open  school  in 
this  place.  Nowhere  else  have  women  and  children  showed 
so  great  a  fear  of  us  and  our  work.  From  the  moment  that 
I  showed  an  interest  in  the  mapaho,  the  beating  of  cotton 
ceased,  and  the  village  was  quiet.  At  no  time  during  our 
stay  did  women  or  children  come  to  the  town-house.  Short- 
ly after  sending  back  our  horses  to  Papalo,  we  found  that 
there  were  no  animals  for  riding  in  San  Juan  Zautla. 
Fortunately,  our  next  point,  San  Pedro,  was  but  two  leagues 


206 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


distant,  and  rather  than  wait  until  animals  could  be  brought 
from  Cuicatlan,  we  decided  to  walk.  The  night  before  we 
were  to  leave,  we  made  arrangements  for  our  carriers.  The 
secretario  had  set  the  price  at  two  reales  a  man;  four  were 
ordered,  and  an  early  hour  set  for  the  departure.  When 
the  time  came,  our  men  were  in  open  rebellion.  They 
refused  to  go  upon  the  journey.  We  told  the  town  officials 
that,  if  these  men  failed  us,  they  themselves  must  do  the 
work.  The  men  were  really  scared,  and  stated  that  the 
people  of  San  Pedro  had  threatened  to  kill  us  all,  if  we  came 
to  their  town.  In  vain  we  argued  —  they  were  sure  that 
the  whole  party  were  going  to  their  doom.  For  such  a 
paltry  sum  no  man  would  risk  his  life.  At  last,  however, 
the  officials  decreed  obedience,  and  our  party  started.  At 
first  we  led  the  company  and  the  carriers  came  behind. 
The  road  led  straight  down  the  mountain-side  to  a  brook, 
and  then  up  the  opposite  side  to  the  summit,  just  beyond 
which  lay  our  goal.  As  we  started,  he  who  had  recog- 
nized the  bust  of  Jesus  insisted  upon  accompanying  us  a 
way  for  friendship,  and  on  the  journey  made  various  wise 
remarks  regarding  the  busts.  Hardly  had  we  started  when 
our  men  again  rebelled;  they  would  not  make  the  journey 
for  the  price  agreed  upon,  the  risk  was  too  great;  they 
must  be  paid  more,  if  they  went  at  all.  I  felt  that  patience 
had  ceased  to  be  a  virtue.  Telling  them  that  we  would  no 
longer  go  ahead,  we  ordered  them  to  take  up  their  burdens 
and  precede  us,  at  the  same  time  threatening  to  shoot  them, 
if  they  stopped  without  permission.  After  marching  along 
in  this  new  order  for  a  time,  they  indicated  a  desire  to  par- 
ley. They  would  carry  their  burdens  to  the  foot  of  the  hill, 
where  they  would  leave  them  by  the  brook-side.  We  could 
then  go  on  to  the  village  of  San  Pedro  and  send  back  car- 
riers to  bring  them.  To  this  proposition  we  gave  no  en- 
couragement.   The  descent  was  abrupt.    At  the  bottom 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA 


was  a  fine  brook,  with  a  hanging  bridge  of  vines  swinging 
from  tree  to  tree  across  it.  Here  we  stopped  to  drink  the 
fresh  cool  water,  cut  some  sugar-canes,  catch  butterflies, 
and  take  views.  One  of  the  trees  from  which  the  vines 
hung  was  a  perfect  mass  of  ferns,  orchids  and  bromelias 
of  many  kinds.  On  the  great  slope  back  of  us,  toward  the 
gap  through  which  the  brook  had  broken,  were  great  cliffs 
of  massive  rock;  otherwise  the  whole  mountain  slope  was 
a  sheet  of  richest  green.  The  ascent  was  long  and  difficult, 
and  the  party  went  slowly,  with  many  rests.  It  was  amus- 
ing, how,  even  at  this  distance,  as  we  mounted  the  slope, 
we  could  hear  the  constant  beating  of  the  tnapaho  in  the 
village  behind  us,  as  if  in  rejoicing  at  our  departure.  As 
we  neared  the  summit,  our  carriers  again  made  signals  of 
a  desire  to  converse.  They  would  fulfill  their  whole  duty, 
and  would  carry  their  burdens  to  the  town-house  in  San 
Pedro,  but  would  we  have  the  kindness,  from  here  on,  to 
take  the  lead?  Oh,  yes,  we  answered,  we  would  take  the 
lead,  and  they  should  see  that  nothing  would  happen.  No 
one  would  harm  us ;  we  were  not  about  to  die. 

To  make  a  favorable  impression,  we  asked  for  a  drink 
of  water  at  the  first  house  we  came  to,  and  passed  a  greeting 
with  the  few  men,  women  and  children  whom  we  met  on 
our  way  into  town.  The  greater  part  of  the  population 
was  at  church,  where  we  found  a  service  in  progress,  and 
we  were  obliged  to  wait  until  it  was  over  before  we  saw  the 
town  officials.  I  told  the  secretario  to  summon  the  town 
government  to  the  municipal-house,  which  was  a  small 
affair,  no  more  than  15  or  1 8  by  20  feet,  with  walls  of  lashed 
poles  and  a  palm  roof.  A  narrow  bench  ran  around  the 
four  sides,  and  two  tables,  one  long  and  one  short  one,  set 
at  right  angles,  occupied  the  greater  portion  of  the  open 
space.  A  long  wide  bench  was  placed  alongside  of  the 
larger.    At  one  end  there  was  a  santo,  in  a  little  shrine 


1208 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


decorated  with  flowers  and  leaves.  A  little  fire  was  built 
upon  the  floor,  over  which  wax  was  melting,  in  which  can- 
dles were  being  dipped. 

The  secretario  chanced  to  be  a  man  whom  I  had  met 
at  Cuicatlan  the  year  before.  He  recalled  our  work,  and 
taking  us  to  his  own  house,  we  soon  had  an  excellent  din- 
ner. He  seemed  to  be  well-to-do,  and  had  two  houses  built 
of  slabs  lashed  vertically  together.  Nets  full  of  jicaras, 
great  stacks  of  corn  neatly  laid  out,  good  tableware  in 
quantity,  and  a  kerosene-lamp,  all  were  evidences  of  his 
wealth.  We  ate  at  a  good  table,  in  the  house,  where  the 
corn  was  stored.  The  most  astonishing  thing,  however, 
in  the  house  was  an  old-fashioned  piano,  long  beyond  use. 
How  it  was  ever  brought  over  the  mountains  to  this  village 
is  a  wonder.  When  we  asked  him,  what  we  were  to  pay 
for  the  dinner,  he  replied,  nothing;  that  we  would  begin 
to  pay  later.  The  impression  made  upon  us  by  San  Pedro 
was  more  agreeable  than  that  produced  by  Zautla.  The 
town  government  is  large  and  vigorous,  comprising  a  dozen 
well-built  young  fellows.  On  account  of  the  church  festi- 
val, plenty  of  subjects  had  been  brought  together.  We 
did  not  understand  what  the  secretario  expected,  and 
therefore  took  up  our  quarters  at  the  town-house.  We 
paid  dearly  for  our  misunderstanding.  We  waited  long 
for  supper,  but  none  came.  The  presidente  and  the  older 
men  were  at  church.  The  secretario  was  nowhere  to  be 
found.  While  we  were  waiting,  the  young  fellows  who 
were  making  candles,  and  a  crowd  of  boys,  crouched  about 
the  fire  and  watched  the  work.  Presently  they  lay  down 
a  couple  of  serapes  on  the  floor,  and  the  whole  group, 
eighteen  or  twenty  in  number,  dropped  down  upon  them, 
a  perfect  mass  of  humanity,  packed  close  together  in  the 
most  curiously  twisted  attitudes,  and  were  fast  asleep  in 
no  time.    They  had  no  covering,  but  seemed  to  keep  each 


Chinantec  Girl  Spinning;  San  Juan  Zautla 


Chinantec  Weaving;  San  Juan  Zautla 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA 


other  warm.  After  they  were  fast  asleep,  some  of  the  other 
men  appeared,  and  we  urged  the  bringing  in  of  supper.  A 
handful  of  tortillas  and  two  fried  eggs  were  not  a  hearty 
meal  for  six  hungry  persons,  nor  were  our  sleeping  accom- 
modations satisfactory.  With  difficulty  we  got  some  mats, 
and  I  lay  down  upon  the  smaller  table,  Frank  on  the  larger, 
Louis  and  Manuel  rolled  up  on  the  ground  below  the  latter, 
and  Ramon  and  the  mozo  on  the  long  bench.  Half  a 
dozen  of  the  older  men  remained  sitting  about  the  fire.  It 
can  be  understood  that  the  room  was  fairly  full.  The  men 
made  no  pretense  of  sleeping  until  past  ten  o'clock,  and 
two  or  three  times  during  the  night  they  broke  out  into  loud 
conversation. 

Just  outside  the  town-house,  under  a  thatched  shelter, 
a  group  of  old  women  were  cooking  atole  in  great  ollas  until 
a  late  hour.  This  gruel  they  ladled  out  to  those  men  and 
boys  who  had  been  working,  and  doled  out  to  them  drinks 
from  black  bottles.  The  men  and  boys,  with  their  red 
head-cloths  or  neck-cloths,  went  forth  from  time  to  time  in 
groups  upon  some  public  errand.  Towards  evening,  eight 
or  ten  little  fellows  came  from  the  forest  with  bundles  of 
firewood  upon  their  heads  and  great  machetes  hanging  at 
their  sides.  In  the  morning,  the  same  group  of  youngsters 
came  in  loaded  with  bunches  of  green  leaves  and  holly  to 
be  used  in  decorating  the  church.  At  eight  o'clock  there 
was  a  procession  in  the  churchyard;  the  saint,  dressed  in 
flowing  garments,  was  carried  about,  accompanied  by  ban- 
ners and  a  band  of  music.  During  the  festival,  everyone 
drank;  even  the  little  boys  of  eight  or  nine  years,  who 
brought  in  their  loads  of  wood,  received  their  spirits,  which 
they  drank  like  old  topers.  There  was  no  evidence  of  bad 
temper  as  a  result  of  this  drinking,  but  an  increasing  stu- 
pidity. When,  in  the  morning,  we  found  our  breakfast  to 
consist  of  nothing  but  coffee,  we  realized  our  mistake  of  the 


2IO 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


night  before,  and  promptly  betook  ourselves  to  the  house 
of  the  secretario,  where  we  spent  the  following  day.  The 
demands  of  the  church  during  the  day  were  so  heavy  that 
we  did  little  work.  The  day  itself  was  dark  and  dismal. 
In  the  late  morning  the  boys  brought  in  great  loads  of  poin- 
settia,  from  which  they  fashioned  brilliant  rosettes  and  gar- 
lands for  the  church.  At  night,  a  wooden  platform  was 
brought  in  for  a  bed,  upon  which  Louis,  Manuel  and  I 
slept,  while  the  others  made  a  bed  of  broad  boards  upon  the 
floor.  Being  behind  with  his  developing,  Louis  set  to  work 
as  soon  as  the  lights  were  out,  and  kept  at  it  until  half-past- 
one.  Scarcely  had  he  come  to  bed  and  promptly  fallen 
asleep,  when  there  was  a  pounding  at  the  door,  which  was 
almost  immediately  after  broken  in.  Rising,  I  called  out 
to  see  what  was  wanted,  and  four  or  five  indians,  all  very 
drunk,  came  staggering  in.  The  oldest  of  the  party  carried 
a  great  machete,  and  one  of  them  closely  hugged  a  bottle 
full  of  spirits.  After  begging  pardon  for  disturbing  us, 
they  built  a  smoky  fire,  near  the  drying  negatives.  Fearing 
that  their  drunken  movements  and  the  smoke  would  work 
disaster,  I  made  them  change  their  place  of  rest  and  fire, 
moving  them  to  the  other  end  of  the  room.  There  they 
built  another  fire,  and,  before  morning,  they  had  consumed 
three  bottles  of  spirits.  What  with  the  firelight  and  smoke, 
the  noisy  laughter,  the  loud  talking  and  constant  move- 
ment, it  was  impossible  for  me  to  sleep.  Only  for  a  single 
hour,  when  they  fell  back  upon  the  floor  in  drunken  slum- 
ber, and  their  fire  burned  down,  did  I  get  a  bit  of  rest.  It 
seems  that  they  were  an  official  guard  put  to  watch  the  town 
store  of  grain  which  was  kept  in  the  building,  and  which 
was  subject  to  the  depredations  of  animals.  During  the 
following  day  we  completed  our  work  upon  Chinantecs. 
The  type  is  one  of  the  best  marked.  In  the  child,  the  nose 
is  wide,  flat  at  the  tip,  with  a  straight  or  even  concave 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA  211 


bridge;  the  eyes  are  widely  separated  and  often  oblique; 
the  mouth  is  large,  the  lips  thick  and  the  upper  lip  projects 
notably  beyond  the  lower;  the  face  is  wide,  and  flat  at  the 
cheek-bones.  With  age,  this  type  changes,  the  nose  becomes 
aquiline,  and  of  moderate  breadth,  the  upper  lip  becomes 
less  prominent,  the  skin  lightens. 

For  two  days  more,  days  of  darkness,  rain  and  cold  that 
penetrated  to  the  marrow,  we  remained  prisoners  in  the 
village,  waiting  for  the  horses  for  which  we  had  sent  the 
day  of  our  arrival.  It  was  impossible  to  make  photographs, 
nor  was  it  feasible  to  look  around  the  town,  or  into  the  ad- 
joining country.  The  secretario,  indeed,  showed  us  the  way 
in  which  spirits  are  distilled  from  the  sap  of  sugar-cane, 
and  we  had  ample  opportunity  to  examine  the  dress  of  the 
people  and  the  mode  of  weaving.  All  the  women  dress 
in  garments  of  home-woven  cotton,  and  the  red  head-cloths, 
so  characteristic  a  feature  of  the  dress  of  men  and  boys, 
are  woven  here  from  thread  already  dyed,  bought  in  other 
places.  The  little  figures  of  animals  or  birds  or  geometri- 
cal designs  worked  in  them  in  green  or  yellow  worsted  are 
woven  in,  at  the  time  of  making  the  cloths,  with  bright  bits 
of  wool. 

At  last  our  animals  appeared.  They  had  been  sent 
from  Papalo,  and  we  made  arrangements,  as  we  supposed, 
for  using  them  through  to  Cuicatlan.  The  animals  arrived 
at  9:30  in  the  morning  and  the  mozo  with  them  reported 
that  the  roads  were  bad  from  the  constant  rains  of  the  past 
several  days.  We  decided  to  leave  that  afternoon,  stopping 
at  Zautla  for  the  night,  and  then,  making  an  early  start,  to 
push  through  in  a  single  day.  The  presidente,  alcalde, 
and  other  town  officials  accompanied  us  to  the  border  of 
the  village,  where  they  bade  us  adieu,  begging  for  a  real 
for  drink.  As  we  left,  the  sky  was  clear  and  the  mists  were 
rising  from  the  valleys.    For  the  first  time  we  gained  some 


212 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


idea  of  the  beauty  of  the  country  all  around  us.  The  houses 
of  the  town  are  well  built,  with  walls  of  poles  or  narrow 
slabs  neatly  corded  together  in  a  vertical  position.  The 
roofs  are  thatched  with  palm;  they  pitch  sharply  from  a 
central  ridge  and  the  ends  pitch  also  from  the  ridge  in 
independent  slopes.  The  top  is  crested  with  a  comb  of 
thatch,  neatly  applied.  Off  to  the  right  from  the  village 
lay  a  magnificent  valley,  with  massive  rock  walls  clad  with 
green  forest.  The  low  masses  of  clouds  and  great  banks 
of  mist  but  emphasized  the  impression  made  by  those  parts 
of  the  scene  that  were  visible.  Soon  we  had  passed  the 
ridge  and  looked  down  again  into  the  Zautla  valley.  The 
road  was  not  as  bad  as  we  had  anticipated.  As  we  made 
our  upward  climb,  we  found  that  the  flame-colored  orchids, 
few  when  we  last  passed  that  way,  were  out  in  quantity. 
They  are  a  terrestrial  species,  and  the  colors  are  a  beauti- 
ful combination  of  flame-red  with  chrome-yellow.  The 
other  day  only  the  outer  and  lower  flowers  of  the  racemes 
were  blown,  but  on  this  occasion  the  whole  cluster  was  in 
bloom.  We  noticed  strikingly,  what  had  before  suggested 
itself  to  us,  that  through  this  district  flowers  of  certain  colors 
mass  themselves  together.  Thus,  on  this  slope,  the  hun- 
dreds of  bunches  of  flame-colored  orchids  were  rivalled  by 
clusters  of  a  tubular  flower  perhaps  an  inch  in  length,  of 
almost  the  same  hues.  Along  the  glen-road  near  Tepanapa 
all  sorts  of  flowers  seemed  to  be  pink  or  flesh-colored, 
while  along  the  jungle-bank,  near  the  coffee  plantation, 
everything  was  blue  or  purple.  When  we  reached  Zautla, 
neither  the  presidente,  the  secretario  nor  the  segundo  was 
in  town.  The  big  topil}  whose  head  was  healing,  did  the 
honors  of  the  place.  We  had  intended  to  make  an  early 
start,  but  it  was  half  past  six  before  we  mounted  and  were 
on  our  way.  Going  back  over  the  old  road,  we  soon  reached 
the  little  coffee  finca  in  charge  of  our  Mixtec  friend,  and 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA  213 


here  we  left  the  familiar  trail,  for  what  our  guide  insisted 
was  a  better  one.  We  struck  up  and  up  and  up  the  slope 
to  avoid  little  ravines  which  he  assured  us  were  very  bad. 
At  last,  when  it  was  certain  that  he  had  completely  lost  his 
way,  we  started  down  into  the  forest.  For  a  time  we  fol- 
lowed a  bad  and  disused  trail,  but  soon  even  this  disap- 
peared, and  we  tore  our  way  through  the  tropical  vegeta- 
tion as  best  we  could.  Often  the  men  had  to  cut  the  way 
with  their  machetes)  sometimes  we  slid  for  yards  over  the 
wet  mud;  frequently  our  heads  were  caught  by  hanging 
vines,  and  faces  and  hands  were  scratched  with  brambles. 
When  at  last  we  came  out  upon  a  cleared  space,  we  found 
ourselves  at  the  Chinantec  village  of  Santa  Maria.  Per- 
haps there  were  four  houses  in  the  village.  Our  appearance 
caused  great  excitement.  Our  pack-animals  bade  fair  to 
destroy  the  maize  and  other  plantings  in  the  field.  In  the 
trail  were  oxen,  which  had  to  be  gotten  out  of  our  way  for 
fear  of  being  driven  to  frenzy  by  our  mere  passing.  They 
assured  us  that  we  were  on  the  road  to  Tepanapa,  so  we 
completed  the  descent  to  the  brooklet  and  started  up  a  trail 
which  at  any  time  would  have  been  steep,  stony,  slippery, 
all  at  once.  We  were  compelled,  finally,  to  dismount  and 
lead  our  animals;  Frank,  before  he  did  so,  tumbled  his  horse 
three  times  down  the  bank.  At  one  place  two  of  the  horses 
fell  together  in  a  struggling  mass,  and  for  a  moment  things 
looked  serious.  All  the  animals  but  my  own  fell,  at  least 
once,  before  we  reached  the  summit.  From  there,  it  was 
an  easy  ride  over  a  level  district  until  we  were  in  sight  of 
Tepanapa,  which,  by  sunlight,  presented  a  most  attractive 
appearance.  The  houses  are  spread  over  a  gentle  slope, 
to  the  very  edge  of  a  little  barranca.  Each  had  a  little 
enclosure,  with  a  group  of  banana  plants.  Butterflies  of 
brilliant  hues  lazily  flew  about,  and  a  few  birds  uttered 
their  characteristic  cries.    We  could  not,  however,  delay. 


214 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Before  us  lay  a  tremendous  ascent;  the  first  part,  which 
we  had  passed  after  dusk,  we  found  rougher  than  we  real- 
ized; rock  masses  here  were  covered  with  a  thick  cushion 
of  brilliant  crimson  moss,  a  kind  of  sphagnum.  The  gully 
trail  had  not  been  improved  by  the  recent  rains,  and  it 
taxed  our  animals  severely  to  reach  the  summit.  Arrived 
in  the  district  of  the  trees  loaded  with  beards  of  golden- 
yellow  moss,  we  caught  a  magnificent  view  back  over  the 
valley.  With  one  sweep  of  the  eyes,  we  could  almost  follow 
our  whole  round  of  wandering.  The  ridges  on  which  lay 
San  Juan  Zautla  and  San  Pedro  Soochiapan  both  were  in 
sight,  as  were  the  valleys  in  which  Santa  Maria  and  Tepa- 
napa  lay.  But  the  only  actual  feature  which  we  could  see 
and  recognize  was  the  little  coffee  finca  this  side  of  Zautla. 
The  combination  of  green  mountains,  blue  ridges  and  bare 
rock  cliffs  was  grand.  Here  our  road  forked,  and  at  this 
point  we  had  a  moment's  excitement.  We  met  an  old 
indian  man  with  a  baby  tied  upon  his  back,  and  his  old  wife, 
carrying  a  burden,  followed  after.  Before  them  a  black 
bull  was  calmly  walking.  The  moment  the  old  man  saw 
us,  he  waved  his  arms  and  cried  out,  in  great  excitement, 
"Toro,  muy  bravo!"  (Bull,  very  fierce!)  and  hastened 
forward  to  catch  the  lasso  wound  round  the  horns  of  the 
beast  to  lead  him  out  of  our  way.  Just  then  the  bull  took 
matters  into  his  own  control,  and,  with  a  snort  and  plunge, 
started  wildly  away,  dragging  the  old  fellow  at  a  wild  run 
down  the  trail,  finally  whirling  him  and  the  baby  into  a 
heap  by  the  road-side,  while  he  himself  took  up  the  moun- 
tain-side.   It  was  after  dark  before  we  reached  Papalo. 

After  much  grumbling,  supper  was  prepared  and  a 
solemn  promise  given  that  we  should  leave  at  seven  in  the 
morning.  When  we  were  ready,  no  animals  were  to  be 
seen.  The  presidente  asserted  that  the  price  which  we 
had  paid  was  only  to  that  point,  and  that  if  we  wanted 


IN  THE  CHINANTLA 


2i5 


animals  for  Cuicatlan  we  must  make  a  new  arrangement. 
This  was  sheer  blackmail,  because  there  had  been  no  mis- 
understanding in  the  matter,  and  a  liberal  price  had  been 
paid.  After  wrangling  for  an  hour,  we  shook  the  dust  of 
Papalo  literally  from  our  feet,  and  started  to  walk  to  Cui- 
catlan, telling  the  town  authorities  that  our  burdens  must 
be  taken  by  mozos  to  the  cabecera  before  three  o'clock,  and 
that  we  should  pay  nothing  for  the  service.  Probably  we 
should  not  have  been  so  ready  to  take  this  heroic  action  if 
we  had  not  remembered  that  the  road  was  down  hill  all  the 
way,  and  good  walking.  Still,  fifteen  miles  is  fifteen 
miles,  and  the  sun  was  hot,  and  though  we  left  at  8:30,  it 
was  two  o'clock  before  we  entered  Cuicatlan.  We  had  no 
adventures  by  the  way,  except  the  killing  of  a  coral  snake 
which  lay  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  At  three  the  mozos 
with  their  burdens  arrived,  and  felt  it  very  hard  that  we 
kept  our  promise  of  paying  nothing  fof  their  service. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


TO  COIXTLAHUACA 
(1900) 

T^OR  a  day  we  rested  at  Cuicatlan  to  make  arrange- 
■*■  merits  for  a  trip  to  the  land  of  the  Chochos.  We 
complained  bitterly  to  the  jefe  politico  regarding  the  mis- 
erable animals  which  had  been  supplied  us  for  our  last 
journey,  and  demanded  something  better. 

Frank  had  had  enough  of  practical  anthropology,  and 
left  us,  so  there  were  but  four  to  be  provided.  At 
eight  o'clock  the  following  morning,  four  decent  horses  and 
two  pack  animals  were  waiting  at  our  door.  A  mounted 
arriero  was  in  charge,  to  accompany  us.  Although  he  had 
been  inefficient  on  the  preceding  journey,  the  same  jail- 
bird was  sent  with  us,  as  tnozo,  whom  we  had  had  before. 
At  8:30  our  party  of  six  persons  started;  passing  the  river, 
which  we  forded,  an  excellent  road  took  us,  for  a  league, 
over  the  sandy  plain,  which  was  fairly  grown  with  trees, 
supplying  a  little  shade.  The  great  pitahayas  were  in 
bloom,  and  their  white  flowers  looked  well  against  the  ugly, 
stiff  green  branches.  The  roadside  was  bordered  with 
acacias  which,  in  full  bloom,  presented  masses  of  golden 
balls  and  perfumed  the  air  with  their  delicate  odor.  Pass- 
ing a  considerable  sugar  hacienda,  the  trail  struck  into  the 
mountains,  and  for  three  hours  we  made  a  steady  ascent. 
The  road  itself  was  excellent  but  the  sun  beat  down  with 
fearful  force,  and  the  heat  was  reflected  from  the  bare  road 
and  the  rock  cliffs  along  which  we  travelled.    At  one  place 

the  vegetation  consisted  of  a  curious  mixture  of  gigantic 

216 


TO  COIXTLAHUACA  217 


cactuses,  rising  as  single  stalks  as  high  as  telegraph  poles 
but  larger  in  diameter,  and  palms.  Arriving  at  the  crest, 
we  saw  a  long  plain  stretching  before  us,  presenting  a  min- 
gled growth  of  palms  and  pines.  At  the  very  border  of 
the  ridge  stood  a  hut  of  poles,  where  we  stopped  to  drink 
tepache  and  to  eat  broiled  chicken  which  we  had  brought 
with  us.  We  found  the  old  woman,  an  indian  —  neither 
Cuicatec,  Chinantec,  Mixtec,  nor  Zapotec,  as  we  might  ex- 
pect —  but  a  full  Aztec  from  Cordoba.  She  was  bright 
and  shrewd,  and,  as  we  chatted  with  her,  we  noticed  a  little 
chicken  a  few  days  old  awkwardly  running  about  with 
curiously  deformed  feet.  Upon  my  noticing  it,  the  old 
lady  remarked  that  the  moon  made  it  so.  I  inquired  what 
she  meant.  She  said,  "Yes,  we  know  it  is  the  moon  which 
shapes  the  bodies  of  all  young  animals."  We  followed 
the  road  a  long  distance  over  the  hot  plain,  passing  San 
Pedro  Jocotepec  to  our  left,  and  shortly  after,  struck  up  the 
mountain  side  and  had  another  long  and  steady  climb, 
until,  at  last,  we  reached  the  crest  of  all  the  district.  Here 
and  there,  we  encountered  bits  of  limestone,  which  always, 
in  this  southern  country,  makes  the  worst  roads  for  travel. 
The  rain  erodes  it  into  the  oddest  of  forms,  leaving  pro- 
jecting ridges  almost  as  sharp  as  knife-edges,  with  irregu- 
lar hollows  pitting  the  surface,  so  that  it  forms  a  most  inse- 
cure and  unpleasant  foot-hold  for  the  animals.  Not  only 
so,  but  the  surface,  rough  as  it  is,  is  frequently  as  polished 
as  glass,  and,  whether  wet  or  dry,  is  slippery  to  the  tread. 
Walking  over  these  jagged  surfaces  of  limestone  is  destruc- 
tive to  any  shoes.  A  single  afternoon  of  this  will  do  more 
wear  than  a  month  of  ordinary  use.  Troublesome  as  these 
limestones  are,  as  roads,  they  are  ever  interesting,  because 
the  masses  by  the  roadside  present  the  most  astonishing  and 
beautiful  forms  of  waterwear;  upon  a  mass  eight  or  ten 
feet  across,  there  will  be  worn  a  system  of  ridges  and  inter- 


218 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


vening  channels,  which,  in  miniature,  seems  to  reproduce 
the  orographic  features  of  the  whole  country. 

While  we  were  passing  over  one  of  these  limestone 
stretches,  a  little  before  reaching  the  summit,  we  found  a 
spot  of  unusual  difficulty.  The  two  pack  animals  were 
together,  one  tied  to  the  tail  of  the  other;  the  second  had 
several  times  acted  badly,  but  in  passing  over  this  bit  of 
road,  he  jumped  and  plunged,  so  that  his  pack  loosened 
and  slid  to  one  side.  Plunging,  kicking,  and  falling,  he 
dragged  down  the  unfortunate  beast  to  whose  tail  he  was 
tied;  the  old  rope  tugged  and  creaked,  and,  for  a  moment, 
we  expected  to  see  the  very  tail  of  the  forward  animal 
pulled  out,  and  both  packs  destroyed  by  the  struggling 
beasts.  Fortunately,  at  this  moment,  the  rope  itself  broke. 
The  forward  animal  was  loosened  and  quickly  quieted; 
but  the  other  one  kicked  and  struggled,  with  our  load  of 
plates  and  developing  trays  under  him.  Quickly  cutting 
the  ropes  that  held  the  burden,  we  tried  to  release  the  ani- 
mal, but  it  lay  exhausted,  and,  for  a  moment,  we  thought  it 
dead.  Really,  however,  it  was  not  hurt  at  all,  and  the  loads 
themselves  appeared  undamaged.  The  burdens  having 
been  repacked,  we  again  started  on  the  journey.  At  several 
places  on  this  road,  we  had  noticed  cairns,  or  heaps  of  peb- 
bles. On  inquiring  from  Don  Manuel  —  the  funny  little 
man,  who  had  the  animals  in  charge  —  we  learned  that 
every  Chocho  indian  passing  the  place  adds  a  pebble  to 
the  heap,  to  secure  good  luck  and  insure  his  safe  return 
home.  At  the  summit,  we  found  one  of  these  piles  of  stone 
surmounted  by  a  cross,  and  learned  that  when  the  Cho- 
chos  reach  this  spot,  they  always  stop,  repeat  a  prayer,  and 
dance  for  good  health  and  fortune  before  the  cross.  It 
was  now  almost  dark.  Soon  we  saw  the  downward  slope, 
at  the  foot  of  which  Huautla  lay.  We  hastened  down  the 
slope,  passing  through  a  grove  of  oak  trees,  heavily  loaded 


TO  COIXTLAHUACA  219 

with  bromelias;  at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  we  crossed  a  stream 
of  clearest  water,  bordered  with  handsome  cypress  trees, 
and  passing  several  houses,  came  to  the  one  where  we 
planned  to  stop  for  the  night.  It  was  now  dark.  There 
was  no  opportunity  for  sleeping  in  the  hut,  and  so  we  pre- 
pared to  lie  down  outside.  The  people  in  the  house  pre- 
pared tortillas  and  beans,  and,  after  eating,  we  rolled  up 
in  our  blankets  and  lay  down  on  some  dried  corn-husks  on 
the  ground.  It  was  a  night  of  suffering;  the  cold  was  so 
great  that  our  blankets  furnished  no  protection,  and  the 
place  swarmed  with  fleas  innumerable.  At  last,  at  four 
o'clock,  two  hours  before  sunrise,  we  started  on  our  journey 
in  the  hope  of  getting  warm.  The  air  was  damp  and  heavy, 
and,  until  the  sun  rose,  we  had  a  desolate  journey.  We 
were  again  upon  a  limestone  district,  with  interesting  feat- 
ures of  scenery,  and  with  few  difficulties  in  the  road.  We 
passed  many  oblong  hills  of  limestone,  the  horizontal  layers 
of  which  upon  the  slopes  present  tiers  of  steps,  one  behind 
the  other.  These  hills  were  astonishingly  overgrown  with 
trees,  and  formed  masses  of  the  darkest  green.  There  was 
a  great  deal  of  subterranean  water,  and  sink-holes  produced 
by  caving  over  such  streams  were  frequent.  The  soil  gen- 
erally was  a  residual  red  or  brownish  clay.  Flocks  of  gray 
pigeons  were  startled  from  their  roosts  by  our  passing;  and 
little  doves  were  plentiful;  great  hawks  and  small  eagles 
were  seen  in  pairs,  hovering  high  in  the  air.  We  passed 
several  little  ranches,  to  one  of  which  the  name  of  El  Zapato 
is  given  from  a  foot-print  which  is  said  to  be  painted  on  the 
rocks  at  that  point.  Finally,  we  saw  before  us  the  hill 
behind  which,  Don  Manuel  assured  us,  lay  Coxitlahuaca. 
To  mount  and  drop  down  behind  it  seemed  a  simple  thing, 
but  we  had  to  traverse  the  whole  length  of  the  rather  irregu- 
lar ridge,  which  seemed  interminable.  The  road  which  led 
up  to  it  was  called  the  Rio  Blanca  —  white  river  —  an 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


appropriate  name,  as  it  was  broad  and  deeply  worn  into  the 
soft  rock  of  which  the  ridge  consisted.  When  we  reached 
the  crest,  we  found  the  ridge  extending  as  a  flat  plain  of 
light,  buff-colored  tufa,  with  many  trails  worn  deeply  into 
it,  and  giving  out,  under  the  bright  sunshine,  a  frightful 
reflection  of  light  and  heat.  Long  before  we  reached  the 
end  of  this  dreary  stretch,  we  saw  Coixtlahuaca  and  its  ad- 
joining indian  villages,  Nativitas  and  San  Cristobal.  As 
we  drew  nearer,  the  view  was  striking.  The  town  is  broad, 
but  of  little  depth;  its  streets  are  laid  out  with  regularity; 
its  great  church,  with  masses  of  ruin  on  either  side,  is  con- 
spicuous; the  plaza  is  large  for  the  size  of  the  town.  To 
one  side  of  it  are  the  portales  and  the  town-house  and 
jefatura.  To  the  right  of  the  town  and  behind  it  is  a 
large,  walled  cemetery  with  many  gravestones.  Back  of 
all,  rise  hills  of  tufa,  such  as  we  had  just  traversed.  The 
houses,  similar  to  those  at  Huautla,  and  in  the  country  be- 
tween there  and  here,  appear  to  be  constructed  with  a 
view  to  cold.  At  least,  two  houses  usually  occur  in  one 
inclosure;  the  one,  more  important,  corresponds  to  the  god- 
house  of  the  Aztecs  and  the  other  to  the  cook-house.  The 
former  is  better  built,  and  has  low,  carefully  constructed 
walls,  and  a  high  abruptly  four-pitched,  heavily  thatched 
roof.  Going  to  the  jefatura,  the  young  clerk  there  was 
much  impressed  by  the  documents  we  presented,  and  asked 
us  if  we  would  accompany  him  to  the  jeje's  house,  as  thus  no 
time  would  be  lost.  Upon  arriving  at  the  house  of  the 
jefe>  we  found  that  a  wedding  was  about  to  be  celebrated 
in  the  church.  The  jefe  received  us  with  magnificent 
promises;  we  should  room  at  the  palace,  arrangements 
should  be  made  for  boarding  at  a  private  house,  beds  and 
other  proper  furniture  should  be  brought  immediately,  and 
the  following  day  we  should  journey  on  horseback  through 
all  the  indian  towns  of  the  vicinity.    This  was  all  very 


TO  COIXTLAHUACA 


fine,  but  we  told  him  that  meantime  we  were  hungry  — 
we  had  eaten  nothing  since  the  night  before  and  then  had 
fared  badly  —  and  that  we  must  unload  our  animals,  which 
we  had  left  with  the  rest  of  our  company,  standing  in  front 
of  the  palace.  The  unloading  was  done  at  once  and  we 
were  given  the  school-house  for  our  quarters,  at  the  rear  of 
the  patio  of  the  palace.  At  this  moment,  however,  every- 
thing else  was  neglected  for  the  wedding.  This  we  all 
attended,  and  it  was,  indeed,  an  occasion.  The  bride  in 
white,  with  veil  and  orange-blossoms,  was  accompanied 
by  her  mother,  god-mother,  and  other  female  friends.  She 
was  really  a  pretty  and  wholesome  indian  girl,  and  the 
groom  was  a  decent  young  mestizo,  with  gray  wool  som- 
brero, and  linen  jacket,  cloth  trousers,  etc.  He  and  his 
god-father  were  bustling  about  attending  to  all  sorts  of 
preliminaries.  In  the  solemn  procession  which  took  place 
to  the  church,  the  company  of  ladies  preceded;  the  jefe 
and  myself  led  the  line  of  male  friends,  and,  when  we  filed 
into  the  church,  the  building  was  fairly  filled.  The  special 
friends,  including  our  party,  moved  in  procession  to  the 
high  altar,  where  the  ceremony  was  performed.  The 
bridal  company  knelt  with  candles  in  their  hands.  Other 
candles,  some  of  enormous  size,  were  burning  in  various 
parts  of  the  church.  The  priest,  with  much  ceremony,  gave 
the  sacrament  of  the  communion  to  the  couple,  and  then 
fastened  two  golden  chains,  crossing,  about  both  their 
necks.  A  scarf  of  satin  was  placed  upon  them  so  as  to 
cover  both,  passing  over  the  head  of  the  woman,  and  the 
shoulders  of  the  man.  From  the  church,  our  procession, 
dwindled  to  the  particular  friends  and  guests  of  honor, 
walked  through  the  village  to  the  justice-court,  where  the 
civil  ceremony  was  performed.  The  matter  having  been 
accomplished  with  full  respect  to  the  requirements  of  the 
law,  we  thought  again  of  dinner.    The  jeje  told  us  that 


222 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


to-morrow  we  should  go  to  our  boarding-place,  but  that 
to-day  we  were  to  dine  together  in  state.  Time  passed, 
hour  after  hour  lagged  by,  until  the  mozo  and  arriero  struck 
for  money,  with  which  to  buy  themselves  something  to  eat. 
Meantime,  we  waited.  Finally,  at  three  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  we  were  summoned,  and  the  jeje,  myself,  and 
our  companions,  started  down  the  hot,  dusty,  main  street. 
On  and  on  we  walked,  until,  at  last,  the  jeje  himself  impa- 
tiently demanded  of  our  guide  how  far  we  had  to  go.  At 
last,  we  heard  the  strains  of  music,  and,  shortly,  found  our- 
selves in  a  yard  crowded  with  people,  among  whom  two 
bands  of  music  were  present,  one  with  stringed  instruments 
and  the  other  with  brass.  It  was  the  house  of  the  bride, 
and  after  a  moment's  waiting  in  the  yard,  we  were  ushered, 
by  the  jefe's  clerk,  into  the  building.  It  had  been  cleared 
of  all  its  contents  and  a  long  table,  set  in  the  middle,  ran 
lengthwise  of  the  place.  Benches  were  placed  beside  it. 
A  line  of  vases,  filled  with  bouquets,  occupied  the  middle 
of  the  table  and  between  these  were  bottles  of  wine,  Cata- 
lan, mescal,  pulque,  tepache,  beer,  etc.  The  ladies  were 
already  seated;  we  took  the  remaining  seats.  The  com- 
pany consisted  of  the  bride  and  groom,  their  parents,  god- 
parents, families,  and  particular  friends.  And  then,  we 
had  a  dinner  which  amply  compensated  for  the  thirty-six 
hours  through  which  we  had  been  fasting  —  good  bread,  soup, 
stews,  broiled  meat,  mole,  mole  prieto,  chicken,  beans,  sweet- 
meats, coffee,  with  the  beverages  before  mentioned.  Dishes, 
when  they  came  in,  were  politely  passed  across  the  table  to 
the  ladies  opposite;  no  one  ate  till  all  were  served,  and 
when  we  were  through,  the  place  was  cleared,  and  another 
room  full  of  friends  sat  down  to  the  bountiful  repast.  And 
then  a  third,  and  then  a  fourth,  till  everyone  had  feasted, 
even  to  the  commonest,  and  the  musicians,  to  whom  abun- 
dance was  carried  after  those  invited  in  had  eaten.  Through 


TO  COIXTLAHUACA 


223 


all  this  lengthy  feasting  the  bands  of  music  alternated  with 
each  other.  When  all  had  eaten,  the  women  quickly 
cleared  the  house,  the  tables  were  moved,  and  all  the  chairs 
of  the  neighborhood  were  set  stiffly  around  the  walls,  after 
which  dancing  began,  continuing  through  the  night. 

After  having  eaten,  we  stepped  outside  to  visit  with  the 
crowd.  Among  them,  several  drunken  men  showed  spec- 
ial friendliness.  One  of  these  insisted  upon  showing  us 
an  idol,  which,  from  his  description,  should  have  been  a 
rather  beautiful  piece.  It  turned  out  to  be  a  very  crudely- 
made  head,  wrought  in  coarse,  cellular  lava.  Considering 
the  material,  the  work  was  really  fine;  nor  was  it  a  fragment 
broken  from  the  body,  as  there  had  never  been  more  than 
what  we  saw.  From  here,  a  yet  more  drunken  dulcero 
insisted  on  our  going  to  his  dulceria  and  bake-shop,  where 
he  told  us  that  he  had  a  much  finer  piece.  We  found  he 
really  had  an  enormous  head,  made  of  coarse,  but  rather 
bright,  red  stone;  it  was  another  example  of  the  same  type 
of  separate  head,  a  type  which  must  be  characteristic  of  the 
district. 

Nothwithstanding  the  fine  promises,  we  found  no  beds 
or  other  furniture  when  we  returned  to  our  room.  This 
was  not,  perhaps,  surprising,  in  view  of  the  excitement  over 
the  wedding,  which  might  drive  lesser  matters  out  of  the 
mind  of  the  great  official.  With  difficulty,  we  secured  some 
mats  from  the  chief  of  police,  and  made  our  beds  with  these 
upon  the  desks  and  benches  of  the  school  room.  But, 
though  we  remained  in  Coixtlahuaca  several  days,  no  beds 
were  forthcoming,  though  we  referred  to  them  often  enough; 
nor  did  the  private  boarding-house  materialize.  We,  how- 
ever, found  a  little  place  in  the  village  where  we  got  plenty 
of  good  food  cheaply.  Nor  did  the  ride  on  horseback 
through  the  neighboring  villages,  which  had  been  so  pleas- 
antly suggested  by  the  jefe,  materialize.    However,  each 


22\ 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


day  of  our  stay  we  were  assured  that  all  arrangements  had 
been  made  for  it  to  take  place  on  the  morrow. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  plaza  as  large  in  pro- 
portion to  the  size  of  the  town.  On  Sunday  it  was  crowded, 
and  while  many  things  were  bought  and  sold,  the  trade  in 
sombreros  surpassed  all  others.  This  is  a  specialty  of  all 
the  district;  throughout  the  Chocho  towns,  they  make  an 
excellent  grade  of  palm-hats  and  everyone  engages  in  the 
making.  Both  men  and  women  braid  palm,  and  in  every 
yard  there  is  excavated  in  the  soft,  tufaceous  rock,  a  cueva, 
or  cave,  in  which  they  work.  Here  the  palm  is  left  between 
times,  and  here  two  persons  generally  work  together,  each 
braiding  at  a  hat,  while  a  little  cross,  cut  in  the  rock-wall, 
looks  down  upon  the  work,  for  good  luck.  These  caves 
have  a  narrow  opening  upward  and  are  scarcely  large 
enough  to  admit  the  two  persons  who  sit  at  their  work. 
The  object  of  the  cave  is  to  keep  the  work  moist,  as  the 
plaiting  cannot  be  well  done,  if  the  palm  dries  out. 

The  Monday  we  were  there,  the  victory  of  February 
5th  was  celebrated.  The  day  began  with  music  by  the 
brass-band,  from  the  roof  of  the  presidencia.  The  band, 
a  large  one,  consisted  almost  entirely  of  boys  about  fifteen 
years  of  age.  Only  the  director  and  one  among  the  players 
were  men  grown.  At  sunrise  the  national  flag  was  raised, 
and  at  seven  the  church-bells  were  rung.  Through  the 
afternoon,  games  of  ball  and  cock-fights  furnished  amuse- 
ment. Among  the  crowd,  at  the  house  of  the  bride,  we  had 
met  a  little,  stout  man  of  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  years, 
who  considered  himself  superior  to  the  other  people,  and 
who  variously  attempted  to  make  himself  familiar.  At 
several  times  during  our  measuring  and  bust-making,  he 
had  hung  around,  making  smart  remarks,  but  we  had  never 
invited  him  to  submit  to  measure,  as  he  did  not  seem  to  be 
a  really  full-blood  indian.    He  had  made  a  nuisance  of 


TO  COIXTLAHUACA  225 


himself,  but,  finally,  one  day,  when  he  was  standing  in  the 
crowd,  which  was  looking  on,  he  called  my  attention  to  a 
friend  of  his,  remarking  that  here  was  a  good  subject.  On 
calling  this  young  man  to  be  measured,  we  met  with  unex- 
pected resistance.  He  was  purely  indian,  short,  well- 
dressed,  and  well-mannered,  but  he  refused  to  be  meas- 
ured. We  had  had  some  little  trouble  with  our  subjects 
that  afternoon,  and  therefore  insisted  that  he  should  under- 
go the  operation.  He  refused.  Of  course,  the  officials  were 
on  our  side,  and  the  police  led  him  off  to  jail.  When  he  saw 
that  there  was  no  escape,  he  consented  to  be  measured,  and 
they  brought  him  back,  under  guard,  until  the  operation 
was  performed.  So  much  feeling  had  been  raised  by  the 
matter,  that  his  foolish  friend,  to  whose  jocularity  he  owed 
the  unpleasant  experience,  thought  best  himself  to  be 
measured.  Accordingly  measures  were  taken,  although 
it  was  after  dark,  and  a  candle  had  to  be  used  in  reading. 
As  our  day's  work  was  done,  we  returned  to  our  room, 
making  ready  to  go  to  supper.  The  crowd  had  departed. 
To  our  surprise,  we  found  these  foolish  fellows  at  our  door 
awaiting  us.  "Sir,"  they  said,  "we  would  speak  with  you 
a  moment."  Going  aside  with  them,  I  asked  their  wishes. 
They  then  launched  out,  with  weeping  and  groans  and  much 
wringing  of  hands,  into  a  dreary  tale.  They  were  young 
teachers  waiting  for  appointment;  one  of  them  had  a  little 
family;  it  would  be  a  dreadful  thing  for  them  to  be  taken 
away  and  forced  into  the  army.  It  was  impossible  to  con- 
vince them  that  there  was  no  harm  in  the  matter.  After 
long  discussion  and  elaborate  explanations,  they  cheered 
up  somewhat,  but  insisted  that  I  must  go  to  the  house  of  one 
of  them,  the  one  who  had  given  trouble,  to  take  pulque. 
We  went,  three  abreast,  each  one  of  them  taking  one  of  my 
brazitos  queridos  —  "  beloved  little  arms; "  as  we  went,  they 
alternately   indulged   in   admiring   exclamations  —  "Ah, 


226  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Severo,  what  a  maestro!  how  fine  a  gentleman!  how 
amiable!  Say  Manuelito,  was  there  ever  such  a  one."  At 
the  house,  which  was  neat  and  clean,  I  met  the  mother  and 
two  little  ones,  who  would  be  left  behind  in  case  Severo 
were  forced  to  go  into  the  army.  Then  the  pulque  was 
brought  in  and  sampled.  As  I  was  leaving  to  go  to  supper, 
they  said,  no,  I  must  go  to  my  room;  they  would  ac- 
company me.  In  vain  I  reminded  them  that  my  companions 
were  waiting  for  me  at  the  eating-place;  I  must  be  seen 
back  to  my  very  door,  then  I  might  go  where  I  pleased; 
but  with  them  I  had  gone  forth,  and  until  they  saw  me 
home  again,  they  would  be  responsible  for  my  person. 

Coixtlahuaca  itself  is  largely  a  mestizo  town.  But 
immediately  in  its  neighborhood,  and  on  its  outskirts,  are 
indian  villages.  All  Chochos  know  Spanish,  and  but  few 
talk  their  own  language.  There  is  little  of  interest  in  their 
life  and  nothing  characteristic  in  their  dress,  which  is  that 
of  mestizos  in  general.  But  the  physical  type  is  well  de- 
fined. The  stature  is  small;  the  face  is  short  and  broad ^ 
the  nose  is  wide  and  flat,  with  a  fat,  flattened  tip;  the 
hair  is  somewhat  inclined  to  curl,  especially  on  top  behind. 

Despairing  of  the  promised  trip  through  the  villages, 
we  issued  orders  for  our  animals  to  be  ready  early  one  morn- 
ing. Only  after  vigorous  complaints  and  threats  were  they 
actually  ready.  The  owner  of  the  beast  which  I,  myself, 
mounted  went  with  us  on  foot,  and  a  mozo  was  supplied 
for  carrying  instruments.  In  spite  of  fair  promises  that 
we  would  leave  at  three,  it  was  4:40  before  we  started, 
though  we  had  risen  at  half-past-two.  Our  arriero  was  the 
best  we  ever  had;  far  from  sparing  his  good  horse  and 
grumbling  at  our  speed,  he  was  continually  complaining 
at  our  slowness.  "Why  don't  the  boys  want  to  go  fast?  " 
he  would  say.  "  Don't  you  want  to  get  there  at  a  good  hour  ? 
Why  do  you  go  so  slowly?  "    And  then,  striking  the  horse, 


TO  COIXTLAHUACA 


227 


he  trotted  along  at  wonderful  speed.  We  reached  Huautla 
at  half-past-eight,  stopping  an  hour  to  feed  our  horses  and 
to  eat  beans  and  tortillas.  We  then  pushed  on  down  the 
slope,  and  out  over  the  long  ridge,  passing  the  hut  of  our 
Cordoban  Aztec  woman.  It  was  the  hottest  hour  of  the 
day  when  we  descended  the  broad  road,  over  the  hot  rocks, 
and  saw  Cuicatlan  in  the  distance.  Thanks  to  our  arriero, 
we  drew  up  at  Dona  Serafma's  when  it  was  but  3  40  in  the 
afternoon,  having  been  upon  the  road  eleven  hours. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


HUAUHTLA  AND  THE  MAZATECS 


(1900) 


SHORT  ride  upon  the  train,  through  the  hot  and 


dusty  valley,  brought  us  to  the  miserable  station  of 
San  Antonio,  from  which,  we  had  been  assured,  a  coach  ran 
daily  to  Teotitlan  del  Camino;  arrived  at  the  station,  no 
stage  was  in  sight,  and  we  were  told  that  it  sometimes  came 
and  sometimes  not.  Accordingly,  leaving  my  companions 
at  the  station  in  care  of  the  baggage,  I  walked  to  the  village, 
half  a  mile  away,  to  see  what  arrangements  could  be  made 
for  transportation.  It  was  hot,  and  it  seemed  difficult  to 
arouse  interest  on  the  part  of  the  town  authorities.  Neither 
conveyance  nor  animals  were  to  be  had.  Accordingly,  a 
foot  messenger  was  sent  to  Teotitlan,  which  is  a  cabecera, 
asking  that  some  arrangement  be  made  for  transporting  us. 
As  there  was  no  hurry,  and  it  would  be  some  time  before 
we  could  receive  an  answer,  I  sat  under  the  thatched  roof 
in  front  of  the  town-house,  resting  and  enjoying  the  little 
breeze  which  had  sprung  up.  Suddenly  the  belated  coach, 
itself,  came  into  sight,  bound  for  the  station.  Starting 
to  mount,  the  driver  told  me  it  was  better  for  me  to  remain 
sitting  comfortably  in  the  shade,  and  that  he  would  pick  up 
my  companions,  of  whom,  I  told  him,  there  were  three,  and 
that  I  could  join  the  company,  as  they  passed.  As  arrange- 
ments had  already  been  made  regarding  the  transportation 
of  the  baggage  by  mules,  the  advice  seemed  good,  and  I 
remained  where  I  was.  A  long  time  passed,  and  when,  at 
last,  the  coach  arrived,  it  contained  but  one  passenger,  a 


HUAUHTLA  AND  THE  MAZATECS  229 


dignified  licenciado.  When  I  asked  the  driver  where  my 
companions  were,  he  answered  that  they  had  refused  to 
come  because  I  had  sent  no  written  order  to  that  effect. 
I  suggested  that  we  should  turn  back  and  get  them,  but  to 
this  proposition  he  gave  refusal.  Not  only  so,  but  the 
licenciado  expressed  vexation  at  the  delay  which  he  was 
suffering,  and  demanded  that  we  should  go  on  at  once. 
Argument,  persuasions,  threats  were  all  of  no  avail,  and, 
as  it  was  necessary  that  I  should  see  the  jefe  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment,  I  was  forced  to  mount  the  coach  and 
leave  my  unfortunate  and  obedient  companions  to  their 
fate.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  the  coach  lumbered  slowly 
over  a  hot  and  dusty  road,  which  passed  between  small, 
bare,  gray  or  brown  rock  hills,  rising  to  a  higher  level  only 
a  little  before  we  reached  Teotitlan  itself. 

Hastening  to  the  jefatura,  I  discovered  that  the  jefe 
had  gone  to  Mexico,  leaving  the  presidente  of  the  town  as 
his  lieutenant.  This  man  was  neither  willing,  interested, 
nor  efficient.  He  had  little  authority,  even  with  his  own 
policemen  and  townsmen.  I  requested  that  the  first  thing 
should  be  to  send  for  my  companions  and  bring  them  to 
town  within  the  briefest  time.  Orders  were  sent  by  the 
policemen  to  the  driver  of  the  coach,  that  he  should  return 
at  once  to  the  station;  to  these  orders,  he  sent  the  false 
reply  that  his  coach  had  broken  down,  one  wheel  being 
completely  ruined.  After  some  wrangling  and  delay,  the 
presidente  sent  a  foot-messenger  to  San  Antonio  with  orders 
to  the  authorities  of  that  village  to  supply  three  animals 
for  the  travellers.  The  messenger  left  at  five  in  the  even- 
ing. Meantime,  we  arranged  with  difficulty  for  beasts 
for  our  further  journey.  Although  we  were  assured  that 
no  animals  from  the  town  could  accompany  us  further  than 
the  first  ranchito  in  the  mountains,  named  San  Bernardino, 
they  assured  us  that  fresh  animals  could  be  obtained  there 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


for  the  remainder  of  the  journey.  Going  to  the  regular 
hotel  in  the  village,  we  found  the  prices  higher  than  in 
Oaxaca  or  Puebla,  and  equal  to  those  of  a  first-class  hotel 
in  Mexico  itself.  As  the  landlady  seemed  to  have  no  dis- 
position to  do  aught  for  us,  we  decided  to  look  elsewhere. 
At  a  second  so-called  hotel  we  found  a  single  bed.  At  this 
point,  a  bystander  suggested  that  Don  Pedro  Barrios  would 
probably  supply  us  lodging;  hastening  to  his  house,  I 
secured  a  capital  room,  opening  by  one  door  directly  onto 
the  main  road,  and  by  another,  opposite,  onto  the  large  patio 
of  his  place.  The  room  was  large  and  clean,  and  four 
good  cots  were  soon  in  place.  Having  ordered  supper 
at  a  little  eating-house,  for  four  persons,  to  be  ready  at  seven 
o'clock,  I  spent  a  little  time  in  looking  at  relics  found  in  the 
neighborhood.  Pottery  figures  and  heads  are  quite  com- 
mon and  frequently  painted  brilliantly;  small  heads  and 
ornaments  of  green-stone  are  not  uncommon;  curious  clubs 
of  stone  for  beating  bark-paper  aretalso  found;  objects 
of  gold  and  silver  have  been  found  in  ancient  graves,  near 
the  foot  of  the  mountains,  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village. 
These  were  of  curious  forms  and  excellent  workmanship, 
and  included  large  ornaments  for  the  ears  and  pendants 
for  the  neck,  made  of  thin  sheets  of  gold ;  turtles  and  human 
skulls  cast  in  a  single  piece;  and  most  curious  of  all,  odd 
pieces  of  filagree  where  the  gold-wire  was  coiled  into 
strange  human  heads.  One  of  these  was  made  half  of  gold 
and  half  of  silver  wire. 

At  seven,  no  sign  of  my  companions  had  appeared. 
A  policeman  went  to  tell  the  keeper  of  the  eating-house  that 
we  would  eat  at  eight,  and,  putting  my  chair  outside  the 
open  door,  I  sat  in  the  cool  air  and  watched  the  people 
passing  in  the  moonlight.  Eight  o'clock  came,  and  no 
companions.  The  supper  hour  was  postponed  to  nine. 
Between  nine  and  ten,  Don  Pedro  and  I  talked  over  various 


HUAUHTLA  AND  THE  MAZATECS  231 


matters,  and  at  last,  yielding  to  his  solicitation,  I  went  to 
supper,  he  promising  to  send  my  comrades  in  case  they 
should  arrive  during  my  absence.  I  had  just  finished 
supper,  at  half-past  ten,  when  my  three  hungry  companions 
arrived,  with  big  appetites  for  their  own  meals,  and  it  was 
after  eleven  before  the  party  was  through  its  supper. 

They,  themselves,  had  by  no  means  spent  a  dull  after- 
noon. The  station  agent  and  his  lady  wife  had  indulged 
in  a  vigorous  battle.  Both  were  drunk,  shot  revolvers 
recklessly,  bit  one  another,  tore  hair,  and  clubbed  most 
vigorously.  The  man  finally  took  $6,000  in  money  out  of 
the  company's  safe  and  left  the  station,  vowing  that  he 
would  never  be  seen  again.  Though  the  authorities  at 
San  Antonio  had  received  the  order  to  supply  animals  at 
six  o'clock,  it  was  after  nine  before  they  had  the  beasts 
ready  for  the  travellers. 

After  an  excellent  night's  rest  we  started  our  pack-ani- 
mals, and  were  ourselves  ready  for  the  journey  at  nine, 
when  we  found  that  no  arrangements  had  been  made  for 
a  foot  mozo  to  carry  our  instruments.  This  again  caused 
delay  and  trouble,  but  at  last  we  were  upon  the  road,  and 
started  out  through  the  little  village  towards  the  mountains. 
My  animal  appeared  a  beast  of  vigor  and  spirit,  and  my 
hope  ran  high.  The  moment,  however,  that  we  struck  the 
climb,  matters  changed.  He  then  stopped  every  few  yards, 
breathing  as  if  it  were  his  last  gasp.  This  he  kept  up  for 
the  whole  ascent,  and  there  seemed  doubt  whether  he  would 
ever  reach  the  summit.  For  a  long  distance,  the  road  fol- 
lowed the  side  of  a  gorge  in  which  a  fine  brook  plunged 
and  dashed.  We  passed  and  repassed  picturesque  groups 
of  Mazatec  indians  with  their  burdens.  The  women  wore 
enaguas,  the  lower  part  of  which  was  brown,  the  upper 
white.  Their  huipilis  are  among  the  most  striking  we  have 
seen,  being  made  of  native  cotton,  decorated  with  elaborate 


a32  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


embroidered  patterns  of  large  size,  in  pink  or  red.  The 
favorite  design  is  the  eagle.  Men  wore  cotones  of  black 
or  dark  blue  wool.  We  had  been  riding  steadily  for  two 
hours  before  we  reached  San  Bernardino,  where  the  mozos 
and  pack  animals  were  changed,  and  where  we  rested  for  a 
few  minutes.  We  then  rode  for  a  long  time,  gently  ascend- 
ing through  forests  of  pine  or  oak.  Here  and  there  the  air- 
plants  on  the  oak  trees  were  notable.  Finally,  we  mounted 
to  a  road  along  a  narrow  ridge,  like  a  knife's  edge,  and  from 
here  on  had  one  of  the  most  remarkable  roads  that  I  have 
ever  travelled.  Keeping  continuously  upon  the  crest,  we 
had  upon  the  one  side  the  dry  slope,  with  the  pine  forest, 
and  on  the  other  the  damp  slope,  densely  grown  with  low 
oaks,  heavily  clad  with  orchids  and  bromelias  and  weighted 
with  great  bunches  of  gray  moss.  The  road  passed  up  and 
down  gentle  and  abrupt  slopes  separated  by  level  spaces. 
When  we  first  caught  sight  of  Huauhtla  it  looked  so  near, 
and  the  road  to  be  traversed  was  so  plain,  that  we  expected 
to  reach  the  town  before  three  o'clock ;  but  the  trail  proved 
drearily  long.  True,  the  scenery  was  magnificent.  The 
great  mass  of  mountains;  curious  ridges  extending  out 
from  their  flanks;  the  multitude  of  horizontal,  parallel 
long  roads  following  these;  the  little  towns,  San  Geronimo, 
San  Lucas  —  all  were  attractive.  From  the  great  slope 
opposite  Huauhtla,  the  view  of  the  town  was  most  impres- 
sive. Before  us  opened  a  narrow  valley,  the  depth  of  which 
we  only  realized  after  we  had  traversed  it.  An  hour  and 
a  half  was  necessary  for  making  the  descent  and  the  up- 
climb.  From  the  point  whence  we  were  looking,  the  church, 
town-house,  and  clustered  houses  of  the  village  were  above 
us.  Below  stretched  a  line  of  nublina,  and  beneath  it  the 
whole  great  mountain  flank  was  checkered  with  the  irregu- 
lar brown  and  green  fields  belonging  to  the  villagers.  It 
was  already  five  o'clock  when  we  began  the  descent  from 


HUAUHTLA  AND  THE  MAZATECS  233 


this  fine  view-point,  and,  on  our  way  down  the  slope  and 
up  the  opposite  slope  to  the  village,  we  met  great  numbers 
of  drunken  indians, —  as  it  was  Sunday, —  usually  a  man  and 
woman  together.  Two  of  the  men  we  met  had  been  fight- 
ing, and  were  covered  with  blood;  the  face  of  one  of  them 
was  livid  with  the  blows  which  he  had  received.  Many 
of  the  parties  were  noisy  and  quarrelsome,  and  some  of  them 
showed  a  tendency  to  meddle  with  us,  as  we  passed. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  journey  had  been  over  fine, 
dry  roads;  after  we  reached  the  knife-edge  ridge,  how- 
ever, whenever  there  was  a  descent  or  ascent,  we  found  the 
road  of  clay,  moist  and  slippery;  in  the  rainy  season  these 
bits  would  be  bad  enough.  At  this  time  of  year  they  are 
due  to  the  nublina,  great  masses  of  which  we  saw  from  the 
time  we  reached  the  crest-road,  and,  at  times,  we  passed 
through  great  sheets  of  it  which  cut  off  all  view  and  which 
soaked  our  clothing.  Upon  our  last  descent  and  ascent,  we 
were  almost  discouraged,  and  the  last  half-hour  of  our 
journey  was  made  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  struggling 
through  nublina.  Though  it  was  dark,  when  we  reached 
the  village,  we  were  impressed  with  the  fineness  of  the 
municipal-house,  the  best  constructed  we  have  seen  in  an 
indian  town.  Its  location,  near  the  edge  of  the  mountain 
slope,  giving  a  magnificent  outlook  over  the  great  valley,  is 
very  fine.  The  houses  of  the  Mazatecs  are  picturesque. 
The  walls  are  built  of  mud,  or  slabs  or  posts  daubed  with 
mud,  while  the  roofs  are  thatched  with  palm.  The  ridge 
pole  extends,  at  both  ends,  in  projections  which  themselves 
are  thatched,  forming  curious  and  striking  horns.  This 
same  mode  of  thatch,  picturesque  in  the  extreme,  is  also 
used  above  the  little  granaries  which  are  raised,  on  poles, 
several  feet  above  the  ground,  in  order  to  keep  the  con- 
tents from  the  attacks  of  animals.  Huauhtla  is  a  large 
town.    The  village  and  its  immediate  dependencies  have 


234 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


a  population  of  7000.  Until  lately  the  town  was  jealous  of 
visits  from  outside,  and  little  inclined  to  hospitality  towards 
travellers.  If  this  were  formerly  true,  it  has  ceased  to  be  so. 
We  were  received  most  heartily;  the  large  and  enthusiastic 
town  government,  after  learning  our  errand,  expressed  their 
willingness  to  aid  us  in  every  way.  They  at  once  cleared 
a  fine  large  room  in  the  town-house  for  our  occupancy, 
prepared  four  beds  of  boards  covered  with  petates,  and 
brought  from  the  priest's  house,  hard  by,  blankets,  sheets, 
and  pillows  for  my  own  use.  Arrangements  were  also 
made  for  our  eating  with  the  priest,  Padre  Manzano,  with 
whom  we  fared  in  truly  regal  fashion.  In  the  days  we 
stayed  at  Huauhtla,  there  were  no  delays  in  our  work  and 
everything  went  in  orderly  fashion.  It  is  true,  our  subjects 
for  busts  were  an  awkward  and  trying  lot.  The  first  sub- 
ject broke  the  back-piece  of  the  mould  to  fragments,  and, 
when  the  plaster  was  being  applied  to  his  face,  he  opened 
his  mouth  and  talked,  opened  his  eyes,  and  drew  out  his 
nose-tubes,  with  the  result  that  eyes,  nose  and  mouth  were 
all  filled  with  the  soft  mixture,  and  it  was  all  that  we  could 
do  to  clean  him  without  damage.  As  for  trying  to  take  his 
bust  again,  that  was  quite  out  of  the  question.  The  second 
subject  was  all  right,  until  the  last  application  had  been 
made,  when  he  turned  in  the  partly  hardened  mould  with 
truly  disastrous  results.  The  third  one  acted  so  awkwardly, 
that  a  piece  of  mould,  which  should  have  come  off  singly, 
was  taken  off  in  ten  fragments. 

The  dress  of  the  Mazatec  women  is  elaborate  and 
striking,  both  enagua  and  huipil  being  made  from  the  cot- 
ton woven  by  themselves.  At  the  base  of  the  enagua  is  a 
broad  and  heavy  band  of  wool,  embroidered  in  geometrical 
patterns,  the  color  being  cochineal.  Above  these  bands, 
there  are  embroideries  in  the  same  colored  wool, 
animal  and  human  figures,  and  geometrical  designs.  Un- 


HUAUHTLA  AND  THE  MAZATECS  235 


fortunately,  cochineal,  while  brilliant,  is  by  no  means  perma- 
nent, a  single  washing  of  the  garment  spreading  the  color 
through  the  white  texture.  The  huipilis  are  ornamented 
frequently  with  red,  purple  and  crimson  ribbons,  bought 
in  stores  in  the  town,  which  are  sewed  to  the  garment  in  such 
a  fashion  as  to  divide  it  into  rectangular  spaces.  These,  in 
turn,  are  occupied  with  the  elaborate  large  patterns  in  pink 
representing  the  eagle  and  other  designs  already  described. 
It  is  uncommon  among  Mexican  indians  to  find  a  native 
use  of  silk.  Here,  however,  silk- worms  are  reared  and  carry- 
cloths,  kerchiefs  and  belts  are  woven  from  their  product. 
These  are  worn  by  both  men  and  women.  The  mode  of 
wearing  the  hair  among  the  Mazatec  women  is  in  two  broad, 
flat  braids  hanging  down  the  back.  The  women  made  no 
demur  whatever  to  being  measured,  but  everyone,  who  pre- 
sented herself  for  the  operation,  came  dressed  in  her  best 
clothing,  with  her  hair  elaborately  braided,  and  showed  seri- 
ous disappointment  and  dissatisfaction  if  not  invited  to  be 
photographed. 

The  town  has  a  most  curious  reputation,  as  devoted  to 
commerce,  and  not  to  manual  labor.  In  fact,  it  is  considered 
disgraceful  for  a  man  of  Huauhtla  to  indulge  in  work.  The 
people  of  San  Lucas,  the  nearest  town,  and  a  dependency, 
are,  on  the  other  hand,  notably  industrious,  and  it  is  they 
who  carry  burdens  and  do  menial  work  for  the  lordly 
Huauhtla  people.  Mrs.  de  Butrie  told  us  that  she  tried  in 
vain  to  get  a  cook  in  the  village.  The  woman  was  satisfied 
to  cook  and  found  no  fault  with  the  wages  offered,  but 
refused  the  job  because  it  involved  the  carrying  of  water, 
and  she  feared  lest  she  might  be  seen  at  such  ignoble  labor. 
Mr.  de  Butrie  a  while  ago  bought  a  set  of  shelves  from  a 
man  who  had  them  in  his  house.  As  they  were  dirty,  he 
suggested  that  they  must  be  cleaned  before  he  would  receive 
them.    The  seller  said,  very  well,  he  would  send  for  a  man 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


of  San  Lucas  to  clean  them.  It  was  only  lately  that  they 
condescended  to  carry  stuff  to  Teotitlan  to  sell.  In  the  town- 
house  they  cherish  two  much-prized  possessions,  the  titulo 
and  mapa  of  the  town.  The  former  is  the  grant  made  by 
the  Spanish  government  to  this  village,  in  the  year  1763. 
It  is  an  excellently  preserved  document  in  parchment 
and  the  old  writing  is  but  little  faded.  As  for  the  mapa,  it 
is  a  strip  of  native,  coarse  cotton  cloth,  seven  feet  by  three 
feet  nine  inches  in  size,  with  a  landscape  map  of  the  sur- 
rounding country  painted  upon  it  in  red,  yellow,  black  and 
brown.  It  is  a  quaint  piece  of  painting,  with  mountains 
valleys,  streams,  caves,  trees,  houses,  churches  and  vil- 
lages represented  on  it  with  fair  exactness.  It  was  probably 
painted  at  the  same  time  that  the  titulo  was  given  to  the 
village. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival,  we  witnessed  a  quadruple 
indian  wedding  in  the  church  at  seven.  The  brides 
were  magnificent  in  the  brilliant  huipilis,  and  the  godmothers 
were  almost  as  much  so,  with  their  fine  embroideries.  The 
ceremony  was  much  like  that  at  Coixtlahuaca,  already 
described.  The  bride  put  a  silver  ring  upon  the  groom's 
finger,  and  he  did  the  same  by  her;  the  priest  put  money 
into  the  man's  hands,  he  transferred  this  to  the  woman, 
and  she  to  the  priest;  single  chains  were  hung  about  the 
neck  of  each  of  the  party,  both  men  and  women;  the  cover- 
ing sheet  or  scarf  was  stretched  over  all  four  couples  at 
once,  covering  the  heads  of  the  women  and  the  shoulders  of 
the  men. 

Near  the  town-house,  along  the  main  street,  is  a  series  of 
sheds  or  shacks  used  as  shops,  altogether  numerically  dis- 
proportionate to  the  population.  Great  was  our  surprise  to 
find  that  one  of  these  was  kept  by  a  Frenchman,  who  spoke 
excellent  English,  and  who  is  married  to  an  English  lady. 
They  were  the  only  white  people  living  in  this  great  indian 


HUAUHTLA  AND  THE  MAZATECS  237 


town.  Monsieur  de  Butrie  has  a  coffee  plantation  in  the 
valley  a  few  miles  away,  at  Chichotla,  but  he  finds  the  cli- 
mate bad  for  himself  and  lady.  Accordingly,  they  had 
moved  up  onto  the  high  land,  and  it  is  easy  for  him,  when 
he  must  give  attention  to  his  finca,  to  go  to  it  for  the  neces- 
sary time.  They  have  some  pretty  children  and  are  doing 
well.  We  called  at  their  house,  quite  like  the  others  of  the 
town,  and  were  hospitably  received  with  chocolate  and 
sweet  English  cakes.  During  our  stay,  this  gentleman 
and  his  wife  did  their  utmost  for  our  comfort,  and  gave  us 
many  interesting  bits  of  information  regarding  the  people, 
their  customs  and  their  superstitions.  We  have  elsewhere 
described  in  detail  their  witchcraft  practices,  their  belief  in 
transformation  into  tigers,  and  their  ideas  regarding  the 
destiny  and  condition  of  persons  after  death. 

Just  across  the  way  from  the  town-house,  was  a  large 
house  of  the  usual  fashion,  which  we  quickly  learned  was  the 
rendezvous  and  practice-place  of  the  town  band.  This  con- 
sisted entirely  of  boys,  none  of  them  more  than  twenty  years 
of  age,  and  numbered  upwards  of  thirty  pieces.  The 
leader  was  a  man  of  forty,  a  capital  trainer.  The  daily 
practice  began  at  4:30  in  the  morning,  and  was  kept  up 
until  noon ;  then  ensued  an  hour's  rest.  At  one,  they  were 
again  practicing,  and  no  break  occurred  until  long  after 
dark.  During  the  days  that  we  were  there,  a  single  piece 
only  was  being  practiced.  It  was  our  alarm  clock  in  the 
morning,  beat  time  for  our  work  throughout  the  day,  and 
lulled  us  to  sleep  when  we  retired  for  the  night.  Senor 
de  Butrie  insists  that  during  the  year  and  more  than  he  has 
lived  in  the  village,  several  boys  have  blown  themselves, 
through  consumption,  into  early  graves.  Our  pleasant 
stay  at  Huauhtla  came  to  an  equally  pleasant  termination. 
Having  stated  the  number  of  animals  and  human  carriers 
necessary,  and  the  hour  at  which  we  wished  to  start,  we 


23  8 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


found  every  preparation  made  on  awaking  in  the  morning, 
and  at  6:25,  after  an  excellent  breakfast  with  Padre  Man- 
zano,  we  sallied  forth.  Six  human  carriers  bore  our  busts 
and  baggage,  and  four  capital  horses  carried  us  rapidly 
over  the  good  road.  It  was  a  magnificent  morning,  but 
later  in  the  day,  as  the  sun  rose,  it  became  hot.  We  arrived 
at  three  in  the  afternoon  with  our  carriers  close  behind. 
The  following  morning  we  forgave  the  crabbed  cochero  at 
Teotitlan  sufficiently  to  take  his  stage  coach  for  San  Antonio, 
where  we  arrived  in  fifty  minutes,  having  two  hours  to  wait 
before  the  north-bound  train  took  us  towards  Puebla. 


CHAPTER  XX 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS 


(1900) 


EAVING  Puebla  on  the  early  morning  train,  and 


J— '  taking  the  Pachuca  branch  at  Ometusco,  we 
changed  cars  at  Tepa  onto  the  narrow-guage  Hidalgo  road 
for  Tulancingo,  which  took  us  by  a  winding  course  through 
a  great  maguey  country.  After  two  hours  of  riding,  in  the 
latter  part  of  which  we  were  within  sight  of  a  pretty  lake- 
let, we  reached  Tulancingo.  Broad  avenues,  bordered 
with  handsome  trees,  connected  the  station  with  the  town, 
in  the  plaza  of  which  we  shortly  found  ourselves.  This 
plaza  consists  of  a  large  square,  planted  with  trees,  with  an 
open  space  before  it,  and  is  surrounded  by  various  shops 
and  the  great  church.  It  is  pretentious,  but  desolate.  In 
front  of  the  treed  space,  were  temporary  booths  erected  for 
the  carnival,  in  which  dulces,  aguas  Jrescas,  and  cascarones 
were  offered  for  sale.  Hawkers  on  the  streets  were  selling 
cascarones,  some  of  which  were  quite  elaborate.  The 
simplest  were  egg-shells,  dyed  and  stained  in  brilliant 
colors,  and  filled  with  bits  of  cut  paper;  these  were  broken 
upon  the  heads  of  persons  as  they  passed,  setting  loose  the 
bits  of  paper  which  became  entangled  in  the  hair  and  scat- 
tered over  the  clothing.  Some  had,  pasted  over  the  open 
ends,  little  conical  caps  of  colored  tissue-paper.  Others 
consisted  of  a  lyre-shaped  frame,  with  an  egg-shell  in  the 
center  of  the  open  part.  Some  had  white  birds,  single  or 
in  pairs,  hovering  over  the  upper  end.  The  carnival  was 
on  in  full  force,  and  we  saw  frequent  bands  of  maskers. 


240 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


They  went  in  companies  of  a  dozen  or  so,  dressed  like  clowns, 
with  their  clothing  spotted  and  striped  with  red.  Their 
faces  were  concealed  by  cloth.  They  walked  rapidly, 
almost  ran,  through  the  streets.  They  spoke  to  no  one, 
and  did  nothing  except  to  keep  up  a  loud  and  constant 
trilling  of  the  most  ridiculous  kind.  Packs  of  youngsters 
chased  behind  and  crowded  upon  them;  they  also  pelted 
them  with  stones,  and  the  head  of  one  of  the  maskers  was 
bleeding  quite  profusely,  but  he  still  kept  up  his  headlong 
run  and  trilling.  We  had  counted  upon  the  assistance  of 
the  jefe,  but  found  him  too  dignified  to  receive  us  outside 
of  office  hours,  and  therefore  we  arranged  the  matter  of  our 
transportation  to  Huachinango.  The  price  was  high,  the 
coach  inconvenient,  and  the  cochero  unaccommodating. 
In  vain  we  tried  to  have  all  of  our  plaster  taken  in  the  load 
with  us;  only  one-half  could  go,  the  balance  must  follow 
the  succeeding  day.  Finally,  at  about  ten  in  the  morning, 
we  lumbered  heavily  away,  and  were  soon  out  of  the  town, 
passing  through  a  brown,  hilly  district,  at  first  devoted  to 
pulque  plantations,  but  further  along  becoming  fine  pasture- 
land.  Neat  fields,  separated  by  bands  of  yellow,  unplowed 
stubble,  and  true  farm-houses  of  good  size,  were  striking 
features.  We  passed  through  quantities  of  pine  groves, 
and  everywhere  a  cold  wind  blew  strongly  in  our  faces. 
At  one  place,  we  were  obliged  to  dismount  and  walk,  on 
account  of  the  sharp  descent,  and  found  ourselves  upon  an 
ugly  piece  of  limestone  or  sandstone  rock,  which  soon,  to 
our  surprise,  we  found  replaced  by  a  solid  mass  of  obsidian. 
The  cochero,  says  that  the  place  is  known  as  itzlis  —  the 
obsidians,  the  knives.  It  was  2:30  when  we  reached 
Aguazotepec,  where  we  called  upon  the  presidente,  and 
engaged  a  mozoy  for  a  peso,  to  convey  our  instruments  the 
balance  of  the  journey,  as  we  were  completely  tired  out 
with  carrying  them  upon  our  knees.    We  also  arranged 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS 


with  that  official  to  forward  the  balance  of  our  stuff  to 
Huachinango  the  following  day.  We  also  arranged  to  pay 
for  horses  from  Aguazotepec  to  Huachinango.  Having 
eaten  an  excellent  dinner,  when  ready  for  resuming  our 
journey,  we  discovered,  with  surprise,  that  the  stage  was 
still  our  conveyance  to  Venta  Colorado,  only  a  league  from 
Huachinango.  There  we  were  to  secure  the  animals  for 
which  we  had  paid,  though  we  were  warned  that  only  three 
could  be  supplied.  Manuel  and  Louis  at  once  tossed 
coins  to  see  which  should  ride  first.  Although  we  had  paid 
the  full  cost  of  the  coach,  two  other  passengers  were  crowded 
in  upon  us,  and  the  man,  for  whom  we  had  paid  the  peso 
to  carry  our  instruments,  ran  alongside  the  coach  on  foot, 
throwing  stones  at  the  mules,  while  we  had  again  the 
pleasure  of  carrying  the  instruments  and  boxes  on  our 
knees.  The  country  through  which  we  rode  was  much 
as  before.  For  some  time  we  passed  through  a  fine  pine 
forest;  then  we  made  a  deep  descent  into  a  valley,  at  the 
bottom  of  which  flowed  a  large  stream,  which  was  bridged 
by  a  grand  old  structure  of  stone  and  cement.  This  de- 
scent, and  the  opposite  ascent,  we  were  obliged  to  make  on 
foot,  as  the  approaches  were  bad.  We  have  been  impressed 
strongly  with  the  fact  that  everywhere  in  Mexico  the  worst 
bits  of  road  are  those  which,  in  old  Spanish  days,  were 
handsomely  and  well  paved;  and  which,  during  the  dis- 
turbed period  of  the  early  Republic,  were  neglected  and 
allowed  to  go  to  decay.  It  is  depressing  to  see  so  many 
evidences  of  past  magnificence  and  present  poverty.  It 
was  almost  dusk  when,  after  skirting  the  edge  of  a  deep 
gorge,  we  reached  a  piece  of  bad  road,  where  the  coach 
with  difficulty  made  its  way,  with  frightful  jolts  and  pitch- 
ings,  till  we  drew  up  at  Venta  Colorado.  Here  the  coach 
was  finally  abandoned.  Our  animals  were  packed  and 
mounted,  and  after  fussing  and  quarreling  with  our  ugly 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


cochero  as  to  whether  he  or  we  should  carry  the  bulk  of  our 
baggage,  we  started.  The  distance  was  not  great.  It  was 
down  hill,  and  we  had  to  pick  our  way  with  great  care  over 
the  rough  road,  rilled  with  loosened  and  separated  blocks 
of  ancient  paving. 

This  district,  in  one  respect,  reminded  us  of  the  Taras- 
can  country.  Every  house  along  the  road  was  a  sales- 
place,  where  drinks,  cigarettes,  fruit  and  bread  were  offered, 
and  each  had  the  little  boarded  window,  open  when  sales 
were  solicited,  and  closed  when  business  stopped.  The 
houses,  too,  were  log  structures  with  shingled  four-pitched 
roofs,  and  the  houses  in  the  town  were  well  built,  cement- 
walled,  with  low-sloped,  far  projecting  tile  roofs  supported 
on  trimmed  beams.  One  might  as  well  have  been  in  Patz- 
cuaro,  Uruapan,  or  Chilchota.  Again  the  cochero;  we 
had  told  him  that  the  stuff  should  go  to  the  jefatura,  and 
not  to  the  hotel;  he  told  us  with  great  insolence  that  the 
jefatura  was  closed,  and  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  see 
the  jefe  and  that  the  stuff  would  remain  at  the  hotel;  he 
followed  us,  when  we  went  to  the  jefe's  house,  and  great 
was  his  surprise  when  he  found  our  order  efficacious.  We 
had  a  long  talk  with  the  jefe,  who  told  us  that  few  indians 
lived  in  the  town,  and  that  none  of  them  were  Totonacs; 
he  assured  us  that,  though  there  were  no  Totonacs  in 
Huachinango,  we  could  find  them  in  abundance  at  Pahuat- 
lan,  to  which  he  recommended  us  to  go.  The  nearest 
indian  town  to  Huachinango  is  Chiconcuauhtla,  but  it  is 
Aztec.  The  next  day  was  spent  in  town,  waiting  for  our 
other  baggage,  and  for  the  jefe  to  arrange  our  orders  and  lay 
out  our  journey.  My  day  of  fever  was  on,  and  I  spent  it 
mostly  in  bed.  There  were  many  indians  in  the  market, 
most  of  whom  were  Aztecs,  though  a  few  were  Otomis. 
The  men  wore  dark  brown  or  black  cotones;  the  enaguas  of 
the  women  were  wool  and  were  dark  blue  or  black.  Many 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS 


carried  on  their  shoulders  carry-pouches,  consisting  of 
two  rectangular  frames  of  sticks,  corded  together  along  the 
lower  side,  and  kept  from  opening  too  widely,  above,  by  a 
net  of  cords  at  the  ends.  The  indians  of  Chiconcuauhtla 
are  easily  recognized  by  their  little  flat,  round  caps.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  the  bands  of  maskers,  here  called  the  hue- 
huetes,  were  out.  There  were  a  dozen  of  them,  dressed  in 
absurd  costumes;  a  bewhiskered  Englishman  in  loud 
clothing,  a  gentleman,  a  clown,  a  lady,  etc.  These  all  went, 
by  twos,  on  horseback ;  a  clown  and  a  devil  and  a  boy  with 
a  prod,  on  foot,  accompanied  them.  The  duty  of  the  latter, 
who  remotely  resembled  death,  was  to  prod  the  unhappy 
devil.  They  were  accompanied  by  noisy  crowds  the  sev- 
eral times  they  made  the  rounds  of  the  town,  keeping  up 
the  peculiar  trilling,  which  we  had  noticed  at  Tulancingo. 
At  dusk,  these  maskers  dismounted  and  promenaded  in 
couples  about  the  plaza. 

Nowhere,  as  in  this  region,  have  we  had  so  much  diffi- 
culty with  regard  to  animals.  The  demands  were  so  exor- 
bitant that  we  insisted  upon  the  jeje  making  the  arrange- 
ments. He  received  us  in  anything  but  a  pleasant  mood, 
but  acceded,  and  finally  we  secured  four  horses  and  four 
mules,  for  which  we  were  to  pay  for  two  full  days,  and  a 
foot  mozo  to  whom  we  also  were  to  pay  two  full  days'  wages. 
As  the  jeje  himself  had  made  this  arrangement,  we  consented 
to  it,  but  the  man  who  was  outfitting  us  then  demanded 
pay  for  the  mozo  who  went  to  bring  back  the  horses  and  for 
the  fodder  of  the  animals.  At  this,  even  the  jeje  balked, 
declaring  that  he  was  not  in  favor  of  really  robbing  the 
gentlemen.  Paying  him  the  seventeen  dollars  and  twenty- 
five  cents,  in  order  that  there  might  be  no  further  discus- 
sion, we  started.  Just  as  we  left,  the  man  who  supplied  the 
animals  decided  that  our  loads,  which  before  had  been  so 
large,  were  really  not  too  large  for  three  mules,  which  num- 


244 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ber  was  actually  sent  with  us,  though  we  had  paid  for  four. 
We  were  ready  for  starting  at  seven,  but  it  was  ten  before 
we  left.  Meantime,  clouds  had  gathered,  and  just  as  we 
started,  rain  began.  There  were  first  several  separate 
showers,  and  then  a  steady  downpour,  which  lasted  almost 
till  we  reached  Pahuatlan.  All  the  blankets  had  been 
packed  away,  and  we  rode  through  the  rain  until  our  clothes 
were  drenched  through  and  through.  For  three  hours  this 
continued,  and  it  was  impossible  to  see  anything  of  the 
country  through  which  we  passed.  Finally,  however,  as 
we  reached  a  great  crest,  and  looked  down  into  the  valley 
beyond,  the  sky  was  clear  and  we  could  see  something  of 
the  scene  about  us.  The  descent  we  were  to  make,  and 
the  slope  in  front,  were  covered  with  sugar-cane,  broken 
here  and  there  by  great  patches  of  pineapples. ,  With  each 
plantation  of  sugar-cane  there  was  a  little  shelter  of  poles 
under  which  was  a  sap-trough  or  boiling-tank,  while  at  the 
side  of  and  behind  the  shelter  was  a  rude  mill,  the  power 
for  which  was  furnished  by  a  yoke  of  oxen.  Boys  fed  the 
fresh  cane  between  the  crushing  rollers,  and  the  sap,  as  it 
ran  out,  was  carried  in  little  troughs  to  vats.  Not  at  all 
these  little  shelters  was  sugar-making  in  progress,  as  we 
passed,  but  over  both  slopes  many  columns  of  smoke  indi- 
cated places  where  the  work  was  going  on.  The  fire  in 
the  vat  kept  the  sap  boiling,  and  a  man  standing  near  with  a 
great  ladle,  pierced  with  holes,  kept  dipping  up  and  pour- 
ing out  the  hot  sap.  When  we  started  up  the  great  ascent 
we  had  no  hint  of  Pahuatlan,  and,  when  we  reached  the 
summit,  could  see  nothing  of  it.  But  hardly  had  we 
begun  the  descent  before  we  saw  the  large  and  handsome 
town  below,  but  still  with  a  long  slope  and  a  sharp  ascent 
to  be  passed,  before  we  could  reach  it.  From  the  brook- 
side,  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  almost  to  the  village  itself, 
we  passed  through  a  dense  growth  of  bananas,  which  seemed 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS 


to  have  suffered  some  damage,  as  many  were  dry  and  yel- 
low, and  individual  leaves  were  curiously  tattered  and  jagged. 
Among  them  grew  other  plants,  coffee,  orange-trees,  peaches, 
and  cane.  When  we  reached  the  town,  my  heart  sank; 
a  church  with  handsome  dome  and  modern  tower,  a 
planted  plaza  with  central  fountain,  buildings,  of  two  stories 
with  gaudy  fronts  and  portales,  surrounding  three  sides  of 
the  square,  augured  better  for  comfort  while  we  were  in 
the  place,  than  for  work  on  Totonacs.  We  rode  up  to  the 
municipio,  where  we  found  the  presidente,  a  rather  stylish 
young  fellow,  who  was  interested  in  our  work  and  helpful. 
The  town  controls  fourteen  thousand  persons,  and  its  name 
is  derived  from  that  of  a  large  ahuacate,  the  Aztec  name  of 
which  is  pahuatl.  The  presidente  assured  us  that  there 
was  no  Totonac  town,  properly  speaking,  within  the  limits 
of  the  municipio.  For  all  this  district,  Orozco  y  Berra 
makes  many  errors.  Atla,  which  he  lists  as  Totonac,  is 
really  Aztec.  The  presidente,  upon  a  local  map,  showed 
us  the  interesting  way  in  which  natural  barriers  limit  . 
idioms.  Two  little  streams,  coming  together  at  an  acute 
angle,  may  divide  three  languages  —  one  being  spoken  in 
the  angle  and  one  on  either  side.  In  Tlaxco,  a  small 
village  in  this  municipio,  four  idioms  are  spoken  —  Aztec, 
Otomi,  Totonac  and  Tepehua. 

Two  years  before,  just  as  my  work  was  ending,  we  were  in 
the  great  Otomi  town  of  Huixquilucan,  in  the  state  of  Mexico. 
While  resting  at  midday,  I  noticed  a  neatly-dressed  and 
clean  young  indian,  plainly  not  Otomi,  with  whom  I  con- 
versed. He  was  an  Aztec,  and  much  interested  in  the  work 
we  were  doing.  In  our  conversation,  he  told  me  that  I  would 
find  much  of  interest  in  the  state  of  Hidalgo,  and  particu- 
larly called  my  attention  to  the  making  of  paper  from  bark, 
which  he  had  observed  in  the  town  of  San  Gregorio,  two 
years  before.    This  particularly  interested  me,  and  I  then 


246  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


made  notes  regarding  the  method  of  getting  to  San  Grego- 
rio.  I  was  advised  by  him,  in  case  of  going  to  that  place, 
to  talk  with  Don  Pablo  Leyra,  of  Huehuetla,  who  was  him- 
self an  indian  and  a  man  of  consequence  in  the  district  —  a 
sort  of  cacique  among  his  people.  Several  years  ago,  I 
had  first  learned  from  Senor  Eurosa,  a  Mexican  Protestant 
clergyman,  that  in  the  little  town  of  Tlacuilotepec,  there 
still  survive  interesting  pagan  practices.  In  planning  our 
present  journey,  I  had  arranged  to  visit  San  Gregorio  and 
Tlacuilotepec  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  this  manu- 
facture of  paper  and  these  pagan  customs.  Inquiring  of 
the  presidente  of  Pahuatlan  about  his  indians,  I  asked 
regarding  paper-beating,  and  discovered  that  it  was  done 
at  the  nearest  indian  village  of  San  Pablito,  Otomi.  We 
were  told  that  bark  of  several  species  of  trees  was  used  — 
jonote,  dragon,  and  mulberry;  that  the  paper  is  usually  made 
secretly  and  in-doors ;  that  the  passing  traveller  can  hear  the 
sound  of  light  and  rapid  pounding  as  he  passes  through  the 
village;  that  it  is  made  in  every  house,  and  the  proper  season 
is  when  the  sap  runs,  April  to  June ;  San  Pablito  is  the  only 
village  in  the  municipio  where  it  is  made.  It  is  used  in 
brujeria  (witchcraft);  other  paper  can  be  bought  much 
cheaper,  but  only  this  kind  is  serviceable.  It  is  cut 
into  munecos;  representing  human  beings  and  horses  and 
other  animals,  and  these  are  used  to  work  injury  to  human 
beings  and  beasts,  being  buried  in  front  of  the  house  or  in 
the  corral.  The  judge,  who  was  sitting  by,  told  us  that  a 
prisoner  brought  before  him  for  trial  was  found  to  carry 
such  a  paper  figure,  which  was  sewed  through  the  body 
with  thread  and  had  its  lips  sewed  also;  he  learned  that 
this  figure  represented  himself,  and  that  the  lips  were  sewed 
to  prevent  him  from  pronouncing  judgment  on  the  pris- 
oner. They  assured  me  that  the  nearest  point  for  finding 
Totonacs  or  Tepehuas,  in  sufficient  numbers  for  my  pur- 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  247 


pose,  was  in  the  district  of  Tenango  del  Doria,  where,  at 
Huehuetla,  we  would  find  the  largest  Tepehua  town,  and 
that  in  Pantepec,  which  is  in  the  district  of  Hauchinango, 
and  near  Huehuetla,  we  would  find  Totonacs.  We  had 
had  such  ill  success  in  locating  Totonacs  so  far,  that,  at  our 
suggestion,  they  telephoned  to  the  jeje  at  Tenango  inquir- 
ing regarding  the  populations  of  Huehuetla  and  Pantepec, 
with  the  result  that  we  decided  to  visit  those  towns. 

At  Tulancingo,  we  had  been  snubbed  by  the  jeje,  who 
would  not  treat  with  us  outside  of  office  hours.  When 
the  presidente  of  Pahuatlan  took  us  to  the  house  where 
arrangements  had  been  made  for  our  accommodation,  we 
found  a  garrulous,  simple-minded,  individual  who  was  set 
to  clear  our  room  and  make  our  beds.  To  myself,  as  leader 
of  the  company,  he  was  attentive  and  ceremonious  in  the 
highest  degree,  and  on  several  occasions  he  took  my  com- 
panions to  task  for  their  ignorance  regarding  the  proper 
deference  to  display  toward  me.  He  inquired  whether  we 
were  acquainted  with  Senor  Arroyo,  jeje  politico  of  Tulan- 
cingo, and  then  informed  us,  with  pride  that  that  gentle- 
man was  his  "Senor  Padre."  u  If  so,  Senors,  you  may  well 
ask  why  you  see  me  thus  dressed  in  calzoncillos.  For  two 
reasons:  first,  I  am  not  a  legitimate  son,  no,  Senors,  my 
lady  mother,  who  bore  me  was  an  Otomi  indian,  but  I  am 
the  acknowledged  illegitimate  son  of  my  honored  Senor 
Padre.  Second,  I  had  the  misfortune  to  be  involved  in 
trouble  in  the  district  of  Del  Doria,  which  forced  me  to 
flee  from  that  district  to  escape  the  jeje.  But,  sir,  my  Senor 
Padre  said  to  me,  'son,  I  am  the  jeje  politico  of  Tulancingo 
and  the  governor  of  the  State  is  Pedro  L.  Rodriguez;  I 
am  his  intimate  friend,  and  we  shall  succeed  in  ousting 
that  jeje  in  Tenango  del  Doria  who  has  ordered  your  arrest.'  " 
He  also  told  us  of  one  time,  when  his  Senor  Padre  and  an 
inspector  visited  that  unfortunate  district  as  an  investigate 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ing  committee,  and  found  the  jeje  guilty  and  put  him  in  jail 
incomunicado.  He  also  told  us  of  the  band  of  Pahuatlan, 
justly  famous,  which  made  so  great  an  impression  in  one 
town  it  visited,  that  it  determined  to  go  to  Tulancingoto 
serenade  the  jeje  of  that  district,  his  honored  Senor  Padre. 
"And  I  was  invited,  sir,  not  that  I  am  a  musician  or  know 
one  note  from  another,  but  because  I  am  of  the  family  of 
the  gentleman  who  was  to  be  honored,  and  as  a  mark  of 
distinguished  favor  to  both  members  of  the  family.  The 
band  played  so  beautifully,  that  it  was  not  allowed  to  stop 
until  half-past-eleven  at  night,  when  it  retired  in  great 
triumph."  All  this  was  very  interesting,  the  first  time  it 
was  told  us,  but  the  natural  son  remained  while  we  ate 
supper,  and  afterwards,  following  us  to  our  sleeping- room, 
kept  up  the  repetition  until  two  were  already  in  bed  and 
asleep  and  the  others  wished  to  be,  when,  finally,  we  turned 
him  out  and  locked  the  door  upon  him  for  the  night.  We 
have  stated  that  we  paid  for  four  animals  to  bring  our  bag- 
gage hither,  while  but  three  were  actually  employed;  the 
animals,  both  pack  and  passenger,  started  on  their  journey 
for  Huachinango  at  half-past-four  in  the  afternoon,  though 
we  had  paid  both  beast  and  man  two  full  days'  wages. 

Tlacuilotepec  is  a  dependency  of  Pahuatlan.  We 
started  for  our  day's  trip  thither  on  a  good  lot  of  animals, 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  with  two  foot  mozos  for  car- 
riers. The  journey  was  delightful.  For  a  little,  we  fol- 
lowed a  trail  down  the  left-hand  bank  of  a  fine  ravine. 
Nearly  at  the  foot  we  struck  to  the  left,  through  a  little 
cut,  and  were  surprised  to  find  ourselves  upon  the  right-hand 
slope  of  another  gulf  of  immense  depth.  A  few  minutes 
later,  we  reached  the  point  where  the  two  streams  united. 
And  from  there  on,  for  a  long  time,  we  followed  the  bottom 
of  a  great  gorge.  The  rock  walls  were  bold  and  often  sheer, 
and  the  upper  line  of  mountain  horizon  was  graceful  and 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS 


varied.  The  cliffs  were  mostly  limestone,  and  presented 
remarkable  examples  of  folding  and  dislocation.  The 
long  roots  of  trees,  following  exposed  rock  surfaces  down- 
ward for  yards,  and  twisting  and  bending  to  find  lodgment 
in  the  crevices,  were  curious.  Great  tufts  of  a  plant  with 
long,  narrow,  light-green  leaves  hung  down  along  vertical 
rock  faces.  In  little  caverns,  at  the  foot  of  cliffs,  were  damp 
spots  filled  with  ferns  and  broad-leaved  caladiums,  and 
brilliant  clusters  of  begonias  in  bloom.  At  several  places, 
the  water  of  springs  or  underground  streams  gushed  forth, 
in  natural  rock-basins,  or  from  under  projecting  ledges.  At 
one  spot,  there  was  a  dainty  basin  of  limestone  into  which  a 
pretty  veil  of  spring  water  fell  gracefully.  We  crossed 
and  recrossed  the  stream  many  times.  Everywhere  we  were 
within  sound  of  the  creaking  sugar-mills,  and  in  sight  of 
the  ladling  of  boiled  sap;  everywhere  we  met  arrieros 
driving  animals  loaded  with  little  loaves  of  native  sugar; 
everywhere  the  forest  was  broken  with  little  patches  of 
sugar-cane,  growing  on  the  slopes.  Here  and  there,  we  saw 
cables  slung  across  the  streams,  for  passing  cargoes  at  high 
water.  At  one  place  was  a  fine  display  of  basaltic  columns, 
the  position  of  which  was  horizontal,  the  flow  having  come 
up  as  a  sheet  injected  from  below,  and  not  as  a  surface 
out-flow,  where  the  jointage  would  have  been  vertical. 
Finally,  leaving  this  beautiful  ravine,  we  made  a  rapid 
ascent,  passing  a  little  village  consisting  almost  wholly  of 
a  school,  noisy  with  study,  and  a  church,  with  a  separate 
square  tower.  Shortly  after  reaching  the  summit,  and 
dipping  slightly,  we  found  Tlacuilo tepee.  It  is  not  a  large 
town.  At  its  center  mestizo,  it  has  charge  of  several  indian 
villages.  We  had  been  referred  for  information  concern- 
ing surviving  paganism  to  a  Senor  Martinez.  We  were 
interested  in  finding  that  the  presidente  of  the  town  was 
a  brother  of  this  gentleman,  and  that  both  were  Protestants- 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


We  were  received  with  great  cordiality,  not  only  on  account 
of  our  official  introduction,  but  also  because  we  brought 
an  unofficial  introduction  from  Protestant  friends.  Two 
charming  beds  were  arranged  in  the  little  meeting-place  in 
Senor  Martinez's  own  house,  and  two  others,  almost  as  good, 
were  secured  for  the  others  of  the  party,  in  the  little  meson 
of  the  village.  As  we  chatted,  we  were  refreshed  with  a 
delicious  orange-wine,  which  is  made  here,  and  during 
our  days  spent  with  Don  Quirino,  we  had  meals  fit  for  a 
king.  The  indians  under  his  charge  are  Otomis,  and  in 
one  little  village,  Santa  Maria,  Totonac.  When  we  came  to 
inquire  regarding  the  pagan  practice  for  which  we  were 
searching,  we  learned  that  it  was  peculiar  to  the  Otomis, 
and  formed  their  annual  costumbre  —  custom.  They  be- 
lieve that  Montezuma  is  to  come  again.  Meantime,  from 
him  come  health,  crops,  and  all  good  things.  Their  cos- 
tumbre is  a  feast  given  in  his  honor,  of  which  he  is  believed 
to  partake.  A  jacal  —  hut  —  is  prepared  in  a  retired  spot; 
a  table  is  constructed  full  length  of  the  house  within,  and 
upon  this  a  feast  is  spread  of  which  all  partake. 

Upon  this  table  they  place  many  munecos  of  paper; 
formerly  these  were  made  of  the  bark  paper,  but  they  are 
now  made  of  ordinary  paper  bought  in  the  stores.  There 
may  be  so  many  of  these  that  they  cover  the  table  an  inch 
or  two  thick.  The  feasters  shove  money,  usually  small 
pieces  of  silver,  beneath  these  figures.  They  then  kill 
turkeys  and  hens  and  chickens,  and  sprinkle  the  blood 
from  the  headless  bodies  over  the  munecos.  This  they 
do  that  Montezuma  may  be  propititated,  and  give  them 
what  they  desire;  the  money  and  the  munecos,  sprinkled 
with  blood,  are  left  upon  the  table  after  the  feast,  the  former 
being  stolen  by  passing  mestizos. 

The  presidente  stated  that,  at  the  pueblito  of  Santa  Maria, 
where  we  should  go  upon  the  morrow  to  see  some  Toto- 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  251 

nacs,  they  had  just  celebrated  their  annual  costumbre.  He 
said  that  it  might  be  somewhat  similar,  as  they  had  sent  him  a 
headless  turkey,  as  a  gift.  In  the  morning,  we  visited 
this  village  accompanied  by  the  two  brothers.  A  half 
hour's  ride  brought  us  to  the  spot,  from  which  one  gets  one 
of  the  most  lovely  views  in  all  this  picturesque  country. 
Standing  on  the  end  of  a  little  spur  upon  which  the  village 
lies,  one  sees  the  handsome  river  below,  which  separates 
this  municipio  from  that  of  Villa  Juarez.  To  the  left,  rise 
magnificent  mountains  covered  with  brilliant  green  vegeta- 
tion, broken  here  and  there  by  bare  rock  faces,  from  the 
base  of  which  gentle  slopes,  extending  down  to  the  river, 
are  covered  with  little  corn-fields.  Cuauhtepec,  a  Totonac 
pueblo,  where  all  are  said  to  dress  in  white,  lies  upon  this 
stream,  and  immediately  back  from  it  the  cultivated  fields 
of  the  village  stretch  up  to  the  very  crest.  To  the  right, 
is  seen  the  little  ranch  Tanchitla,  with  its  fields,  a  strip  of 
green  forest  separating  these  from  the  fields  of  the  next 
village,  Tlapajualla.  The  stream  abounds  in  fish  of  various 
kinds,  which  form  an  important  food  supply.  They  are, 
however,  rapidly  being  destroyed  by  the  practice  of  explod- 
ing dynamite  cartridges  in  the  water,  by  which  not  only  the 
adult  fish,  but  the  young,  of  all  ages,  are  killed.  Unless  the 
practice  soon  ceases,  and  there  are  rigid  laws  against  it, 
there  will  soon  be  no  fish  left  in  any  of  the  streams  of  this 
whole  region.  This  particular  stream  bears  different 
names  in  different  portions  of  its  course  —  thus  it  is  called 
Tanchitla,  Pahuatlan,  San  Marcos,  Caxones,  Xico,  etc. 

Having  noticed  that  here,  as  at  Pahuatlan,  the  banana 
trees  were  badly  injured,  we  learned  that  this  havoc  was  the 
result  of  two  recent  hail-storms,  which  were  felt  over  a  wide 
area,  and  which  were  of  almost  unexampled  severity.  By 
the  time  we  had  enjoyed  the  outlook,  and  learned  a  little  of 
the  village,  the  messenger  who  had  been  sent  to  call  the 


2$1 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


people  together  had  performed  his  duty,  and  a  picturesque 
group  of  our  long-sought  Totonacs  were  at  hand.  The 
women  wear  quichiquemils  of  native  cotton  cloth,  the  neck 
opening  of  which  is  over-hemmed  with  black  wool.  Lines 
of  crosses,  rosettes,  birds,  etc.,  are  worked  in  various-colored 
wools  upon  them.  Many  of  them  have  a  broad  line  of  color,  , 
in  geometrical  combinations,  running  vertically  up  the 
middle.    The  men  wear  cotones  of  black  and  white. 

Twenty-five  or  thirty  of  the  more  important  men  of  the 
village  were  now  taken  to  the  school-house,  where  the 
presidente  inquired,  for  me,  in  regard  to  the  costumbre. 
At  first  a  little  hesitancy  was  shown,  but  soon  all  were  inter- 
ested and  talked  freely.  The  costumbre  comes  at  about 
the  same  time  each  year,  though  not  upon  a  fixed  date. 
Its  purpose  is  to  secure  health,  good  weather  and  crops  for 
the  coming  year,  though  it  may  be  held  on  the  occasion  of 
pestilence.  Everyone,  even  widows  and  old  maids,  brings 
something  for  the  feast.  The  celebration  is  held  in  some 
large  house,  and  lasts  through  two  days;  floral  decorations 
are  arranged  in  the  four  corners  of  the  room,  candles  are 
lighted,  and  copal  is  burned.  The  first  day,  each  person 
brings  a  handful  of  earth  from  his  field,  which  is  placed 
in  a  heap  upon  the  floor.  Fowls  and  animals  are  slaughtered 
for  the  occasion;  their  heads  are  cut  off  and  their  blood  is 
sprinkled  upon  the  earth.  After  feasting  and  drinking,  a 
dance  follows,  the  dancers  wearing  crowns  and  necklaces 
of  yellow  arnica  flowers,  and  carry  in  their  hands  wands 
made  of  pine-splints  wrapped  with  corn-husks,  and  with  a 
flower  of  arnica  tied  to  each  end.  The  second  day,  corn  on 
the  ear  and  beans  are  brought  instead  of  earth,  and  these  are 
sprinkled  with  blood.  On  both  days,  blood-sprinkled  ma- 
terial is  carried  home,  and  the  seed  and  earth  are  later  put 
into  the  field.  In  the  feasting-room,  two  paper  lanterns 
are  hung  from  the  ceiling;  these  are  stuck  over  with  gilt 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  253 

and  colored  paper  disks  and  stars.  They  represent  the 
sun  and  stars.  Upon  these  lanterns  a  cross  of  blood  is 
made,  at  the  time  when  the  earth  and  seed  are  sprinkled. 
After  the  dance  ends  on  the  second  day,  children  shoot  at 
the  lanterns  with  small  arrows  and  try  to  break  them. 
Disappointed  that  no  mention  had  been  made  of  bark 
paper  in  connection  with  this  ceremonial,  we  asked  whether 
they  ever  used  it.  They  answered  promptly  in  the  affirma- 
tive. For  what?  To  wrap  ocotes.  With  this,  the  man 
who  told  me  hastened  out  and  came  back  with  a  little 
parcel  in  his  hand.  This  consisted  of  twelve  little  sticks  of 
pine  about  three  inches  long;  they  were  tied  together  with 
a  band  of  thread  or  bark  fibre,  and  were  stained  with  blood ; 
these  were  wrapped  in  a  piece  of  green  banana  leaf,  the 
upper  face  of  the  leaf  being  placed  inside  and  the  base  of  the 
leaf  kept  downward.  When  it  had  been  thus  carefully  folded, 
it  was  carried  to  the  field  and  buried  in  a  hole,  carefully  dug, 
so  that  the  top  of  the  package  was  close  to  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  the  face  of  the  leaf  wrapping  was  directed  toward 
the  rising  sun.  To  anyone  who  has  studied  American  indian 
religions,  these  two  costumbres  suggest  much  of  interest. 

The  young  man  who  had  been  most  interested  in  our 
proper  understanding  of  the  costumbre  was  anxious  that  we 
should  see  the  village  idols.  These  are  kept  concealed, 
apparently  in  a  cave,  though  it  is  possible  that  they  are 
buried  in  the  ground.  At  all  events,  they  exist,  and  in 
considerable  number.  A  lively  discussion  ensued  as  to 
whether  it  would  be  proper  to  show  them  to  us,  and  it  was 
decided  that  nothing  ought  to  be  done  until  the  old  woman, 
who  is  at  the  head  of  the  pagan  practices  of  the  village,  should 
be  present.  It  seems  that  in  the  costumbre ,  already  described, 
there  are  four  priests  or  leaders.  One  of  these  is  the  old 
woman  just  mentioned,  and  the  other  three  are  men.  She 
was  sent  for,  and  while  we  waited,  we  were  told  that,  if  we 


*54 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


desired  to  see  the  lanterns  that  were  used  in  the  last  cos- 
tumbre,  they  were  still  preserved  in  the  santocalli.  Santo- 
calli  is  a  mongrel  word  — ;  from  Spanish  santo,  saint,  and 
the  Aztec  colli,  house.  It  was  a  little  structure  of  adobe 
and  canes,  close  to  the  school-house,  and  fronting  with  it 
upon  the  little  plaza  of  the  village.  It  had  a  two-pitched 
thatched  roof  and  a  single  door  in  the  front.  After  some 
demur,  it  was  opened,  and  we  entered.  It  consisted  of  a 
single  plain  room  with  two  benches  made  of  beams  along  the 
wall.  At  the  back  was  a  terrible  Christ  and  Virgin,  and, 
to  the  right  and  behind,  another  Virgin.  These  Virgin 
figures  were  both  small  and  unattractive,  and  both  wore 
quichiquemils.  In  front  of  the  Christ  and  larger  Virgin 
was  a  simple  altar  built  against  the  wall.  In  the  floor, 
directly  in  front  of  it,  were  four  small  hollows.  To  the 
right  of  the  altar,  a  flat  stone  was  set  into  the  floor.  In 
front  of  the  altar  stood  a  small  table  on  which  were  censers 
and  candle-sticks.  Underneath  this  table,  the  space  be- 
tween the  four  legs  was  occupied  by  a  heap  of  ashes;  in 
front  and  behind  this  were  ill-defined  basin  hollows.  To 
beams  in  front  of  these  were  hung  the  almost  globular  paper 
lanterns  already  mentioned.  When  we  had  seen  these 
lanterns,  and  were  about  to  leave,  the  old  bruja  appeared, 
with  her  female  acolyte.  She  was  furious  over  the  dese- 
cration of  strangers  entering  the  santocalli,  without  her 
presence.  She  was  a  striking  figure;  very  small,  with  a 
wrinkled,  shrewd  and  serious,  but  not  unkind,  face;  her 
white  hair  was  almost  concealed  by  her  rebozo,  which  was 
folded  square  and  laid  upon  her  head  with  a  portion  flowing 
behind.  The  most  striking  thing  was  her  great  devotion, 
and  complete  unconcern  regarding  all  around  her.  Enter- 
ing, she  hastened  to  the  altar,  knelt, —  touched  her  forehead 
to  the  edge  —  and  in  a  clear  but  not  loud  voice  crooned  an 
impassioned  cry  to  Christ,  to  San  Jose  and  to  the  Virgin. 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  255 


Imperiously  turning  to  her  acolyte,  she  seized  the  censer 
filled  with  copal,  and,  having  lighted  it,  incensed  the  figures. 
Turning  to  the  presidente,  she  asked  whether  he  were 
going  to  placate  the  saint  for  invasion  by  giving  aguar- 
diente and  candles,  both  of  which  appeared,  as  if  by  magic, 
when  she  was  given  money.  Pouring  aguardiente  from  the 
bottle  into  a  glass,  she  poured  into  the  four  basins  in  the 
ground  before  the  altar,  before  the  Virgin,  before  and  behind 
the  heaps  of  ashes  under  the  table,  and  then  placed  it  to  the 
lips  of  the  Virgin  and  Christ,  lovingly  requesting  them  to 
partake.  She  then  compelled  each  of  the  three  men  priests 
to  make  the  same  libation.  Taking  the  unlighted  candles, 
she  made  passes  with  them,  over  and  across  the  figures, 
first  to  one  side  and  then  to  the  other,  brushing  the  wicks 
against  them.  This,  too,  had  to  be  done  by  the  three 
assistants,  after  which  the  old  lady  began  to  make  vigorous 
personal  use  of  the  bottle  of  spirits,  though  she  was  not 
at  all  selfish,  urging,  not  only  her  acolytes,  but  the  presidente, 
his  brother,  and  the  chief  guest,  to  partake.  It  was  too 
late  to  suggest  a  visit  to  the  idols,  but  the  curious  scene  we 
had  witnessed  gave  sufficient  food  for  thought.  Hurrying 
back  to  Tlacuilotepec,  we  ate  a  last  excellent  dinner,  which 
had  been  long  waiting,  and  at  three  left  for  Pahautlan. 
Our  host,  who  had  been  unremitting  in  his  attention,  refused 
all  money.  At  certain  indian  houses  which  we  passed  upon 
our  homeward  way,  we  saw  curious  pouches  made  of  arma- 
dillo-shells, hanging  upon  posts  or  on  the  house  walls.  We 
learned  that  they  were  used  at  planting-time  for  holding 
seed-corn.  When  the  shell  is  freshly  removed  from  the 
animal,  it  is  bent  into  the  required  shape,  and  then  packed 
full  with  wet  ashes,  to  make  it  retain  its  form  in  drying. 
Though  it  was  half-past  three  when  we  left,  the  way  was 
so  cool  and  delightful  that  we  made  the  journey  in  three 
hours. 


256 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


During  our  day  at  Pahuatlan,  with  a  guide  furnished  by 
the  presidente,  I  made  the  journey  on  foot  to  Atla,  an 
Aztec  town,  famous  for  the  little  cotton  sacks  with  red  wool 
patterns,  which  are  almost  universally  carried  by  men 
throughout  this  district.  White  cotones,  with  narrow,  dark 
stripes  and  a  transverse  band  of  red  decoration  at  each  end, 
and  white  quichiquemils,  decorated  with  brilliant  designs 
in  red  wool,  are  also  made  here.  Our  object  was  not  so 
much  to  see  the  village  and  the  garments,  as  to  visit  a  famous 
witch's  cave,  situated  in  the  noble  pinnacle  of  rock,  plainly 
visible  from  Pahuatlan.  The  whole  party  started  out  from 
Pahuatlan,  but  at  the  bottom  of  the  great  slope,  I  left  my 
companions  to  swim,  while  the  guide  and  I,  crossing  a  pretty 
covered  bridge,  scarcely  high  enough  for  a  man  of  my 
height  wearing  a  sombrero,  went  on.  It  was  a  long  climb  to 
the  village,  but,  when  we  reached  there,  my  mozo  with  great 
glee  called  my  attention  to  brujeria  directly  at  the  side  of  the 
church.  In  front  of  the  building,  to  the  right  of  the  door 
as  one  enters,  is  a  hole  in  the  ground,  into  which  a  few 
large  stones  have  been  clumsily  thrown  or  laid.  Here  chick- 
ens, flowers,  eggs,  etc.,  are  buried,  in  order  to  secure  good 
luck  or  to  restore  health.  Carefully  removing  some  of  the 
stones,  we  saw  ample  evidences  of  such  offerings,  in  bones, 
bits  of  egg-shells,  and  dried  flowers.  From  here,  the  climb 
was  easy  to  the  crest  overlooking  the  village,  and  to  the 
curious  tower-like  mass  projecting  conspicuously  from  it. 
The  cave  is  situated  in  this  mass  of  rock  and  faces  almost 
east;  it  is  a  shallow  cavern,  well-sheltered  and  dry,  perhaps 
fifty  feet  wide  along  the  cliff's  front,  though  only  the  eastern 
third,  which  is  the  more  completely  worn  out,  is  used  for 
ceremonies;  it  is,  perhaps,  no  more  than  eight  or  ten  feet 
deep,  and  has  greater  height  than  depth.  Within  the  cave 
itself  we  found  a  little  table,  a  small  chair,  and  two  blocks 
for  seats.    On  either  side  of  the  table,  a  pole  was  set  obliquely 


The  Witch's  Cave  at  Atla 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  257 

against  the  wall.  The  upper  end  of  the  left-hand  pole  was 
tied  with  a  strip  of  palm  which  was  looped  through  a  hole  in 
the  rock  wall.  At  two  or  three  other  places,  strips  of  palm 
had  been  slipped  through  natural  holes  in  the  wall,  behind 
bars  of  stone,  and  then  tied.  To  the  left,  were  a  censer  and 
two  candle-sticks,  behind  which,  lying  obliquely  against  the 
wall,  were  twenty-five  or  thirty  dance-wands.  These  were 
sticks  wrapped  with  corn-husks  and  tufted  with  clusters  of 
flowers  tied  about  the  middle  and  at  each  end.  The  flowers 
used  were  mostly  the  yellow  death-flower  and  purple  ever- 
lastings. Two  or  three  of  them  were  made  with  the  yellow 
death-flower  —  cempoalxochil  —  alone.  A  few  were  made  of 
xocopa  leaves.  While  only  twenty-five  or  thirty  were  in 
position,  hundreds  of  old  ones  lay  on  the  bank  to  the  left. 
Three  small  crosses  of  wood  were  placed  near  the  wands; 
much  white  paper,  clipped  and  cut  into  decorated  designs, 
was  lying  about,  as  also  wads  of  cotton,  colored  wools,  long 
strings  of  yarn,  and  bits  of  half-beaten  bark  fibre.  Near 
the  front  edge  of  the  cave  was  a  hole  with  large  stones; 
here,  with  a  little  scratching,  we  found  feathers  and  bits  of 
bone  of  turkeys  and  hens,  that  had  been  sacrificed,  as  well 
as  splints  of  pine  tied  together  with  bark  string.  Wooden 
spoons,  probably  used  in  the  banquets  of  the  witches,  were 
stowed  away  in  crevices  of  the  rock.  Chains  of  the  yellow 
death-flower  were  looped  up  against  the  wall.  It  is  said 
that  the  people  of  the  town  never  enter  here,  but  only 
brujas.  Nor  is  it  the  exclusive  property  of  the  witches  of 
Atla,  of  whom  there  are  but  two  or  three,  but  those  of 
several  pueblos  make  their  rendezvous  in  this  cave.  In 
fact,  from  the  crest,  we  could  see  two  other  little  towns 
that  are  interested  in  this  cave,  though  located  in  another 
valley. 

Don  Antonio,  at  whose  house  we  stayed,  told  us  that  San 
Pablito  is  worse  for  brujeria  than  Atla.    He  says  the  people 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


of  that  town  make  use  of  munecos  of  wood,  of  various  sizes. 
For  these  he  makes  many  little  shoes,  for  which  he  charges 
five  or  six  reales  a  pair;  at  that  time  he  had  orders  for  three 
pairs,  and  showed  us  the  little  forms  or  lasts  he  employs, 
and  the  special  leather;  they  are  particular  about  this,  using 
black  for  shoes  for  males  and  red  for  females.  He  says 
they  also  use  little  hats,  serapes,  enaguas  and  quichiquemils, 
for  their  munecos.  Some  of  these  dolls  they  place  on  the 
altar  in  the  church,  and  consider  them  as  sacred,  though 
they  remove  them  when  they  expect  the  priest.  Others 
they  take  to  a  lake  in  the  district  of  Tenango,  near  San  Pablo 
el  Grande,  and  leave  them  there  as  offerings.  They  also 
throw  money  and  other  offerings  into  the  lake. 

We  started  at  eight  o'clock  the  following  morning,  bound 
for  Tenango  del  Doria.  For  a  little  time,  after  leaving  Pa- 
huatlan,  we  mounted,  soon  rinding  ourselves  at  the  top  of  a 
magnificent  crest.  From  here  the  descent  was  rapid  and 
profound;  in  front  of  it  rose  an  equally  abrupt  slope  to  an 
even  greater  height;  toward  the  left  this  presented  a  wonder- 
ful knife-edge  crest,  jagged  and  toothed  astonishingly, 
and  on  this  great  slope,  below  the  level  where  we  were,  we 
saw  San  Pablito,  prettily  located.  As  it  was  Sunday,  most 
of  the  people  were  on  their  way  to  market,  and  we  saw  many 
Otomis,  whose  dark  color  and  broad  faces  reminded  us  of 
those  in  the  state  of  Mexico,  though  they  did  not  present 
so  marked  a  type.  The  enaguas  of  the  women  consisted 
of  an  upper  white  strip  and  a  lower  striped  one,  the  colors 
in  the  latter  being  blue  and  white,  or  white  with  a  broad 
band  of  purplish  blue,  in  which  were  woven  white  designs. 
Their  quichiquemil  was  usually  rather  plain;  white  with  a 
broad  band  of  red,  magenta  or  purple,  parallel  to  the  edge. 
It  might,  however,  be  decorated  with  a  number  of  very 
small  geometrical,  floral,  and  animal  figures,  worked  in  brown, 
purple  and  blue,  which  were  never  so  crowded  as  to  destroy 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS 


the  white  background.  At  9 130  we  reached  the  school-house 
and  called  out  the  teacher,  to  whom  we  delivered  a  letter 
which  the  presidente  of  Pahuatlan  had  given  us  for  him. 
He  summoned  the  town  authorities  and  we  made  known 
our  wish  to  see  some  of  the  bark  paper.  At  first  there  was 
some  hesitancy,  but,  at  last,  an  old  woman  produced  two 
sheets  which,  she  said,  she  made  the  day  before.  At  our 
wish  she  then  brought  out  the  tabla,  or  board  of  wood  on 
which  the  beating  is  done,  and  the  stone  for  beating.  The 
latter  was  smaller  than  the  ancient  beating-stone,  and  not 
grooved  upon  the  beating  surfaces;  it  had,  however,  the 
side  notches  for  convenient  holding  in  the  hand.  The 
board  on  which  the  beating  is  done  is  smooth,  and  is  con- 
stantly cleaned  and  soaped.  Two  kinds  of  bark  are  used, 
moral  and  xalama,  the  former  giving  white,  the  latter  a  pur- 
plish paper.  The  bark  is  thoroughly  washed  with  lye-water 
taken  from  soaked  maize;  it  is  then  washed  with  fresh 
water  and  thoroughly  boiled;  it  is  split  into  thin  strips 
which  are  carefully  arranged  upon  the  board.  First  the 
border  is  laid  out  the  size  of  the  sheet  to  be  made;  then, 
within  this,  strips  are  laid  lengthwise,  side  by  side.  All 
of  this  is  then  beaten  with  the  stone  until  the  sheet  of  paper 
results.  The  paper  when  finished,  presents  two  sides  quite 
different  from  each  other;  one,  smooth  and  finished,  is  the 
surface  that  was  below  in  the  beating,  while  the  other, 
rougher,  is  the  one  that  was  beaten  with  the  stone.  The 
sheets  are  dried  in  the  sun,  carefully  folded  into  convenient 
size,  and  done  up  in  packages  of  a  dozen,  which  are  sold 
to  the  indians  in  all  the  country  round  about.  We  secured 
seventeen  dozen  sheets  of  this  paper,  and  samples  of  the 
bark,  and  the  board  and  stone  used  in  the  beating. 

While  arrangements  were  being  made  for  showing  us 
these  details  regarding  paper-making,  we  visited  the  village 
church,  which  was  very  mean  and  bare;  we  were  disap- 


a6o  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


pointed  to  find  nothing  suspicious  in  the  way  of  munecos. 
It  was  suggested  that  we  should  visit  the  oratorio,  where  we 
found  more.  Here  they  held  their  costumbre  in  June,  or 
thereabouts.  Saints  were  arranged  in  the  back  of  the  room 
on  a  raised  altar;  in  front  of  this,  running  through  the 
middle  of  the  room,  was  a  table  on  which  stood  censers  and 
small  candlesticks  of  rude  pottery.  Upon  the  wall,  over 
the  saints,  were  decorations  of  rushes.  Here  the  whole 
village  feast  and  dance.  There  were  no  munecos  present, 
but  we  found  plenty  of  cut  paper,  most  of  which  was  prob- 
ably decorative;  the  most  curious  was  cut  into  groups  of 
human  figures,  some  of  which  had  crowns  and  horns,  or 
tufts  of  hair,  upon  the  top  of  their  heads.  These  were  said 
to  be  decorations  for  Montezuma,  in  whose  honor  the  feast 
was  given.  Leaving  San  Pablo  at  eleven,  we  rapidly  made 
what  remained  of  the  great  ascent.  As  we  neared  the 
jagged  crest  of  rock,  it  appeared  more  irregularly  gashed  and 
pinnacled  than  ever.  At  the  crest,  leaving  the  old  road, 
which  passed  directly  through  the  fantastic  mass  of  rocks, 
we  reached  San  Nicolas,  from  which,  on  looking  backward, 
we  gained  a  magnificent  view  of  the  valley  and  a  fine  water- 
fall, which  shone  like  a  sheet  of  polished  metal,  far  up  the 
mountain  side.  From  here  our  road  descended  gently, 
but  winding,  in  and  out,  through  a  series  of  narrow  valleys, 
lying  between  parallel  ridges.  As  we  passed  the  crest,  we 
saw  a  level  field  of  green  corn,  which  looked  as  if  we  must 
reach  it  in  a  few  minutes.  But  the  curves  of  the  road 
proved  frightfully  long.  It  was  after  two  o'clock  before 
we  reached  the  green  field,  and,  just  below  it,  Tenango  del 
Doria,  and  made  our  way  to  the  jejatura. 

When  the  jeje  came,  we  found,  to  our  surprise,  that  he 
was  the  Don  Pablo  Leyra  of  whom  Xochihua  had  told  us 
two  years  before.  He  is  a  pure  indian,  tall,  smooth-faced, 
of  gentlemanly  manner,  and  with  all  the  reserve  character- 


Paganism  and  Christianity 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  261 


istic  of  his  race.  He  has  lived  at  Huehuetla  since  boy- 
hood, forty-four  years,  till  just  now,  and  has  but  recently 
come  to  take  the  position  of  jefe  politico.  He  has  not  yet 
moved  his  family  from  Huehuetla,  and  occupies  a  single 
room  in  his  office-building.  He  secured  us  a  pleasant 
room,  with  good  beds  for  the  older,  and  good  mattresses 
for  the  younger,  members  of  our  party,  in  a  house  near-by 
upon  the  hill.  The  jejatura  fills  one  side  of  the  little  plaza; 
around  the  other  side  are  tiendas,  with  high-pitched  single 
roofs,  and  private  houses.  The  town  suffers  much  from 
nublina,  and  is  cold  most  of  the  time. 

We  asked  Don  Pablo  about  the  lake,  concerning  which 
we  had  heard.  He  says  it  is  not  as  much  visited  as  form- 
erly. While  used  by  Otomis,  and  others  of  this  district, 
it  is  most  favored  by  the  Huaxtecs,  parties  of  whom  go 
there  from  long  distances.  They  visit  it  when  there  is 
drought,  for  fear  that  the  siren,  who  lives  in  it,  is  annoyed 
at  their  neglecting  to  make  gifts;  when  there  is  too  copious 
rain,  they  visit  it  to  beg  her  to  desist  from  sending  more, 
and,  when  crops  have  been  destroyed,  to  placate  her  anger. 
Sometimes  two  or  three  hundred  indians  are  in  these  com- 
panies. They  bring  munecos  of  wood,  cloth,  clay,  or  even 
metal;  such  are  shod,  clad  and  hatted.  They  leave  these 
upon  the  shore.  They  also  bring  seeds  and  strew  them  in 
the  water,  and  some  throw  money  in.  They  also  make 
offerings  of  turkeys  and  hens.  Sometimes  these  bands 
spend  several  days  on  the  shore,  dancing  and  eating. 

We  found  that  Don  Pablo  had  arranged  all  our  plans. 
We  were  to  leave  at  nine,  dine  at  twelve  at  San  Bartolo, 
leave  there  at  one,  and  reach  Huehuetla  between  five  and 
six.  It  was  really  only  a  quarter-past-nine  when  we  did 
start,  and  the  jefe,  himself,  saw  us  on  our  way.  The  jour- 
ney was  uneventful;  the  descents  were  gradual;  we  saw 
San  Bartolo  long  before  we  reached  it;  and,  between  it 


262 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


and  us,  there  lay  a  valley,  like  a  narrow  gash,  down  which 
we  had  to  go,  and  up  the  other  side  of  which  we  had  to  climb. 
We  passed  Santa  Maria,  an  insignificant  town,  just  before 
reaching  the  edge  of  this  gully.  From  there  we  saw,  in  the 
mountain  ahead,  above  and  behind  San  Bartolo,  a  great 
cavern  which  we  believe  must  belong  to  witches.  Arriving 
at  San  Bartolo,  we  found  the  market  in  full  progress,  and 
had  ample  opportunity  to  see  the  characteristic  dress  of 
the  women,  with  the  little  black,  red  and  purple  designs 
embroidered  upon  the  white  ground.  We  were  impres- 
sively received  at  the  town-house,  for  Don  Pablo  had  tele- 
phoned them  to  be  ready.  Still,  we  waited  a  long  time  for 
the  promised  dinner,  but  at  half-past-one  climbed  up  a 
steep  hill,  in  the  rear  of  the  town-house,  to  the  home  of  the 
president's  father,  where  a  very  elaborate  meal  had  been 
prepared,  with  wine  and  luxuries.  All  payment  was  refused, 
and,  after  we  had  rested  and  refreshed  ourselves,  we  left  at 
half-past- two.  The  road  was  long;  it  followed  the  side 
of  a  great  gorge,  into  which  it  descended  abruptly;  in  this 
gorge  we  saw  magnificent  vegetation.  The  trees  were 
heavily  hung  with  long  vines  and  ferns;  parasitic  fig  trees, 
hugging  victims  whose  life  sap  they  were  stealing,  were 
abundant.  The  country  was  of  limestone.  On  the  whole, 
the  road  was  good,  but,  here  and  there,  were  patches  where 
we  traveled  over  sharp  and  jagged  out-croppings  of  rock, 
and  near  Huehuetla  we  were  forced  to  make  some  stiff 
climbs  up  the  cliff  sides.  Flocks  of  parrots  were  numerous, 
especially  toward  evening.  The  stream  was  a  handsome 
one,  with  clear,  deep  water;  we  crossed  and  recrossed  many 
times.  The  foot-paths  rarely  crossed,  being  cut  sometimes, 
as  a  narrow  trail,  in  the  rock  of  the  cliff.  Noticeable  were 
numerous  silvery  lines  of  water  falling  over  the  cliff,  several 
of  which  must  have  been  hundreds  of  feet  in  height;  these 
little  threads  of  water  were  impregnated  with  lime,  and 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  263 


deposited  material  in  a  sheet  upon  the  bank  over  which 
they  flowed,  so  that  trails  of  brown  tufa  marked  their  loca- 
tion; the  lower  ends  of  these  deposits  expanded  into  fan- 
like masses  of  tufa,  over  which  the  water  trickled,  dripped 
or  fell.  Where  there  was  not  sufficient  water  to  produce 
a  stream  and  fall,  but  enough  to  keep  the  tufa  moist,  the 
growth  of  ferns,  and  other  delicate  vegetation,  was  brilliant 
and  striking.  We  passed  a  number  of  coffee  and  sugar 
ranches  on  the  road.  It  was  dark  long  before  we  reached 
Huehuetla,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  moonlight  struggling 
through  the  clouds,  we  should  have  had  difficulty  in  travel- 
ing the  last  portion  of  the  road.  At  7 135  we  arrived,  and 
went  at  once  to  the  large  and  handsome  house  of  Don 
Pablo  himself,  where  we  were  expected,  and  where  an  elab- 
orate supper  was  being  made  ready.  The  largest  room 
in  the  house  was  put  at  our  disposal  and  good  beds  and 
cots,  beautifully  clean  and  carefully  made,  were  ready. 
Formerly,  Don  Pablo  was  the  presidente  of  the  town.  His 
successor  was  at  the  house  to  meet  us,  within  five  minutes 
after  our  arrival,  and  took  supper  with  us.  It  is  needless 
to  say  that  in  this  town  we  met  with  no  delays  in  our  work. 
To  our  surprise,  we  found  a  fellow  countryman,  a  civil 
engineer  named  Culin,  from  Philadelphia,  who  has  done 
and  is  doing  much  work  for  the  pueblos  of  this  region. 

Huehuetla  is  a  large  town,  occupying  a  long  valley 
hemmed  in  between  mountains  and  bordering  a  stream. 
The  streets  are  regular,  and  the  view  from  the  hills  about, 
looking  down  upon  the  well-built  houses  and  the  intersect- 
ing streets,  is  very  pretty.  The  houses  have  substantial 
walls  of  stone  and  mud,  and  many  of  them  are  white-plas- 
tered outside;  all  have  a  thick  and  heavy  thatch.  The 
plaza  lies  before  the  house  where  we  stopped,  and,  to  the 
right,  the  large  church  stands  on  a  terrace  somewhat  above 
the  town.    A  large  school  building,  finer  than  many  of  the 


264 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


best  in  some  large  cities,  was  just  being  finished;  its  con 
struction  was  due  to  Don  Pablo's  influence,  and  it  was  soon 
to  be  occupied.  Meantime,  the  children  were  given  instruc- 
tion in  the  church,  and  at  noon  and  evening,  when  their 
lessons  were  closed,  they  marched  in  double  file,  down 
the  flight  of  steps  in  front  of  the  church  and  across  the  plaza, 
where  they  separated  and  made  their  way  home.  During 
the  time  that  we  were  working  at  this  town,  when  the  school 
children  filed  past,  they  always  removed  their  hats  in  the 
most  respectful  manner.  While  there  are  many  mestizos 
in  the  town,  it  may  truly  be  called  an  indian  town,  the 
largest  of  those  belonging  to  the  Tepehuas.  According 
to  Orozco  y  Berra,  Tepehua  is  not  related  to  any  other  lan- 
guage in  Mexico.  We  have  not  studied  it  sufficiently  to 
be  sure  that  he  is  right;  it  is,  however,  certain  that  the  lan- 
guage has  been  much  affected  by  the  Totonac,  if  it  is  not 
related  to  it,  and  many  words  in  the  two  languages  are  the 
same.  The  people  of  this  tribe  have  a  great  reputation, 
more  or  less  deserved,  for  cleanliness;  probably  it  is  com- 
parative, contrasting  with  the  neighboring  Otomis,  rather 
than  positive.  However  that  may  be,  both  men  and 
women  are  usually  dressed  in  clean  white  clothing.  The 
enaguas  of  the  women  are  plain  white;  their  belts  have  a 
foundation  of  white  cotton,  but  raised  designs  of  black 
wool  are  so  thickly  worked  upon  them  that  the  white  is 
quite  inconspicuous. 

The  camisas  and  quichiquemils  are  generally  white,  with 
a  vertical  band  of  red,  and  with  a  few  animal  figures. 
Women  wear  many  necklaces  of  bright  beads,  and  braid 
their  hair  into  two  braids,  which  end  with  tapes  of  various 
colors, —  brown,  red,  green,  maroon,  and  black.  These 
braids  are  brought  together  over  the  head  and  knotted  in 
place.  We  secured  no  women  for  measure  until  we  had 
practically  completed  the  work  with  men,  when  they  came 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  265 


with  a  rush,  the  whole  twenty-five  at  once,  dressed  in  their 
best  clothing,  and  insisted  that  the  work  must  be  done 
inside  the  school-house,  out  of  sight,  instead  of  on  the  street, 
where  we  had  operated  on  the  men.  We  had  no  oppor- 
tunity to  see  any  of  the  popular  danzas,  in  some  of  which, 
we  were  told,  songs  were  sung  in  the  Tepehua  language, 
but  we  did  see  examples  of  the  little  teponastls,  or  drums, 
used  on  these  occasions;  they  are  made  from  a  round  block, 
perhaps  ten  inches  long  and  three  inches  in  diameter; 
these  are  hollowed  out  below,  so  that  two  thin  lips  only  are 
left  above,  which,  when  struck,  give  out  far  more  musical 
tones  than  one  might  expect.  The  two  nights  that  we  were 
at  Huehuetla,  we  saw  men  and  women  fishing  in  the  stream; 
carrying  blazing  torches  in  their  left  hands,  they  waded 
out  into  the  water  and  watched  to  see  the  dark  bodies  of 
the  fish  against  the  pebbly  bottom  of  the  stream;  in  the 
right  hand  they  carried  a  machete,  about  a  foot  in  length, 
with  which  they  stabbed  the  fish,  rarely  missing. 

We  were  now  ready  for  the  last  tribe  of  the  season,  the 
Totonacs  of  Pantepec.  Pantepec  is  in  the  district  of 
Huachinango,  and  we  had  no  order  from  the  jefe;  Don 
Valentino,  the  presidente  of  Huehuetla,  said,  however, 
that  the  presidente  of  Pantepec  was  his  friend,  and  that  he 
would  give  us  a  letter  of  introduction,  which  would  serve 
all  purposes.  As  we  were  to  return  by  Huehuetla,  we  left 
the  busts  which  we  had  made,  and  all  but  our  most  neces- 
sary baggage,  at  Don  Pablo's  house.  Though  we  started 
at  ten,  we  took  the  journey  slowly,  photographing  and 
hunting  birds.  The  road  was  a  trail  in  a  ravine,  with  all 
the  beautiful  scenery  with  which  we  now  were  so  familiar. 
At  one  point  we  saw  a  curious  phenomenon.  The  cliff  rose 
vertically  from  the  water's  edge,  at  a  place  where  the  stream 
made  a  right  angle;  this  cliff  consisted  of  almost  horizontal 
strata  of  varying  hardness,  so  that  some  of  the  layers  were 


i66 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


worn  a  little  more  than  others,  leaving  these  projecting. 
In  the  space  between  these  projecting  layers,  round  river- 
pebbles,  from  the  size  of  hen's  eggs  up  to  the  size  of  a  man's 
fist,  were  firmly  wedged,  so  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that 
they  could  be  dislodged.  Not  a  few,  but  hundreds  of  the 
pebbles,  were  thus  wedged,  so  regularly  and  firmly  that 
we  could  not  believe  the  work  to  be  that  of  nature,  but  sus- 
pected human  hands.  We  learned,  however,  that  nature 
really  had  done  the  work,  on  the  occasion  of  a  flood,  the 
result  of  a  cloud-burst,  which  swept  into  the  valley  two  or 
three  years  before.  At  several  places  in  this  stream,  we 
saw  groups  of  from  two  or  three  to  ten  or  twelve  Totonac 
Indians,  who  were  fishing  with  little  nets.  Our  trail  led 
back  and  forth  across  this  stream  many  times,  and  before 
we  reached  Pantepec  we  had  made  thirty-nine  crossings. 
From  our  last  crossing,  we  climbed  a  steep  ascent,  passing 
the  little  village  of  Tenasco,  and  found  ourselves  at  Pan- 
tepec. We  rode  at  once  to  the  town-house,  and  were  told 
that  the  presidente  was  sleeping;  we  went  then  to  his  house, 
where  we  were  informed  that  he  could  not  be  disturbed. 
We  left  word  that  we  must  see  him  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  that  he  would  find  us  at  the  municipio.  Nearly  three 
hours  passed  before  he  put  in  his  appearance.  Inasmuch 
as  we  had  seen  this  man's  jefe,  and  he  knew  our  errand,  we 
told  the  secretario  to  send  a  message  for  us  to  him  at  Hua- 
chinango.  We  carefully  wrote  out  the  message  for  for- 
warding, in  which  we  told  the  je}e,  that  we  had  waited  three 
hours  for  attention  from  the  town  officials,  and  asked  how 
much  longer  we  should  put  up  with  delay.  We  never 
heard  his  answer,  but  in  less  than  ten  minutes,  the  presi- 
dente, covered  with  perspiration,  was  waiting  for  our  orders 
and  every  policeman  or  the  force  was  ready  for  our  bidding. 
The  message  he  received  from  the  jefe  must  have  been 
vigorous,  for  not  only  was  everything  done  for  our  com- 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS 


267 


fort,  but  work  was  rushed.  During  the  next  day  we  meas- 
ured ninety-eight  men,  photographed  twelve  subjects,  and 
made  moulds  for  all  our  five  busts  —  an  unparalleled  day's 
labor.  We  were  fortunate  in  one  respect  —  that  the  men 
had  been  summoned  that  day  for  public  labor.  So  far 
as  men  were  concerned,  they  gave  no  difficulty  as  subjects. 
With  the  women  it  was  different,  and  full  half  a  day  was 
taken  in  getting  together  our  twenty-five  types;  not  but 
what  there  were  plenty  of  them,  for  our  second  day  at  Pan- 
tepec  was  market-day,  and  the  plaza  was  gay  with  women, 
but  they  did  not  wish  to  be  measured,  and  the  whole  town 
force,  from  presidente  to  the  meanest  topil,  was  afraid  to 
meddle  with  them;  at  first,  too,  we  had  none  but  the 
most  wretched  cases,  women  broken  down  and  worn  out 
with  years  of  labor.  When  nearly  half  our  number  had 
passed  through  our  hands,  and  alt  presented  this  same 
unsatisfactory  type,  we  were  forced  to  make  a  sharp  remon- 
strance, and  only  so  did  we  get  fair  samples  of  young  and 
middle-aged  women. 

At  Pan  tepee  the  centre  of  the  town  is  mestizo;  the  indians 
consist  of  Otomis,  of  whom  there  are  thirty  households, 
and  Totonacs  forming  the  bulk  of  the  population.  It  is 
easy  to  distinguish  the  women  of  the  two  tribes  by  the 
difference  in  dress.  The  quichiquemils  are  particularly 
picturesque.  Both  are  more  heavily  loaded  with  embroidery 
than  any  indian  garments  we  had  ever  seen,  but  the  styles 
of  the  two  decorations  are  completely  different.  The 
quichiquemils  of  the  Otomis  are  smaller  and  completely 
covered  with  red  and  black  embroidery;  those  of  the  Toto- 
nacs are  much  larger,  and  portions  of  the  white  foundations 
may  still  be  seen,  notwithstanding  the  heavy  patterns  in 
brilliant  colors  —  red,  green,  yellow  and  blue.  Mothers  put 
babies  onto  one  side,  with  their  little  legs  astride  a  hip, 
and  then  tie  them  firmly  in  place  with  an  ayate,  or  carry- 


268 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


cloth,  of  cotton,  thus  leaving  their  hands  free  for  work 
or  other  burdens.  If  we  had  difficulty  measuring  the 
Totonac  women,  we  had  still  greater  difficulty  in  photo- 
graphing satisfactory  groups  of  them.  Neither  pleadings 
nor  bribes  on  our  part,  orders  nor  threats  on  the  part  of  the 
officials,  had  much  influence. 

Pan  tepee  is  a  large  town,  situated  near  the  edge  of  the 
great  mountain  mass,  and  looking  across  a  valley,  which  is 
backed  by  what  appears  to  be  a  flat-topped,  straight-edged, 
table  mountain.  The  houses  of  the  town  are  scattered  over 
a  considerable  area  upon  the  slope.  The  walls  are  of  poles, 
heavily  daubed  with  mud  which  is  neatly  and  smoothly  laid 
on.  The  corners  of  this  mud  covering  are  rounded,  instead 
of  angular,  as  usual  elsewhere.  The  thatch  is  heavy  and  firm, 
and  squarely  cut  along  its  lower  edge,  where  it  projects  far 
beyond  the  walls.  The  plaza  is  above  the  town-house,  and  is 
extremely  ugly;  a  kiosk,  which  certainly  can  lay  no  claim  to 
beauty,  stands  in  the  centre;  ugly  shacks,  used  as  tiendas, 
border  a  part  of  it  along  the  main  road.  Striking,  at  this  time, 
in  the  village  were  the  colorin  trees,  some  of  which  occurred 
in  almost  every  enclosure ;  they  were  in  bloom,  and  had  long, 
slender,  flaming-red,  cigarette-shaped  flowers,  which  ap- 
peared before  the  leaves,  from  trunks  that  were  gnarled  and 
brown  and  almost  branchless.  Many  popular  danzas  are  cele- 
brated here,  but  none  was  taking  place  during  our  stay.  San 
Gregorio,  the  town  of  paper-making,  is  not  far  from  Pante- 
pec,  and  large  quantities  of  the  bark  paper  are  beaten  in 
the  little  village  of  Ixcoyotla,  which  belongs  to  this  municipio. 
Asking  an  old  Otomi  whether  he  knew  about  this  paper,  he 
answered  us,  with  great  cunning,  that  we  probably  knew 
as  much  of  it  as  he  did.  He  finally  condescended  to  state 
that  the  munecos  of  it  were  used  in  curing  disease;  that 
anyone  who  has  a  disease  secures  one  of  these  munecos  and 
applies  it  to  the  diseased  part.    The  presidente  insisted 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  269 


that  this  paper  was  not  made  from,  jonote,  but  from  uli, 
and  that  formerly  it  was  much  used  in  making  strong  and 
durable  belts. 

In  starting  back  the  next  morning,  we  went  down  a  dif- 
ferent slope  from  the  one  by  which  we  had  come,  with  the 
result  that  we  had  to  cross  the  stream  five  times  more  than 
before,  making  the  full  forty-four  crossings,  of  which  we 
had  been  warned  by  Culin  while  we  were  at  Huehuetla. 
We  made  our  way  leisurely,  stopped  when  we  pleased,  and 
at  one  point  noticed  a  cave,  which  we  had  not  seen  before, 
just  across  the  stream,  at  a  point  where  it  was  at  its  deepest. 
The  cave  was  so  near  the  water's  edge,  that  it  could  only 
be  approached  from  the  stream.  The  boys  swam  across 
and  entered  it  to  see  if  perchance  they  might  find  some  of 
the  paper  figures  used  in  brujeria.  They  found  little  of 
interest  within;  the  walls  and  rocks  were  marked  with 
crosses,  and  on  the  floor  were  hundreds  of  little  sticks  cut 
to  various  lengths.  We  were  glad,  indeed,  to  reach  Don 
Pablo's  house,  to  eat  his  good  supper,  and  to  occupy  his 
good  beds.  Before  we  went  to  bed,  Dona  Panchita  sug- 
gested that  we  ought  to  see  certain  munecos  kept  by  a  man 
named  Diego,  and  used  as  idols  by  the  village.  Accordingly, 
she  sent  orders  that  the  man  should  bring  his  munecos  to 
the  house  for  us  to  see.  To  this  request,  he  returned  the 
proper  reply,  that  he  would  not  do  so;  that  they  would  be 
offended ;  that  they  were  not  toys  to  be  carried  about  at  the 
nod  and  beck  of  everyone.  This  greatly  increased  our 
interest,  and  we  arranged  for  a  trip  to  his  house.  We  first 
sent  a  messenger  forward,  with  word  that  we  were  coming, 
and  ordered  him  to  stay  there  to  see  that  Diego  did  not 
run  away  or  hide  the  idols.  After  supper,  Dona  Panchita, 
our  company,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Culin,  and  one  or  two  others, 
picked  our  way  by  moonlight  across  the  stepping-stones  and 
foot-bridge,  up  a  trail  by  coffee  groves  along  a  purling 


270 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


brook-side.  We  were  soon  at  the  house,  and  after  some 
hesitation,  Diego  led  us  to  the  Holy  of  Holies.  The  munecos 
were  kept  in  a  little  house,  which  contained  an  altar  built 
of  boards,  with  fresh  flowers  for  decoration.  At  the  back 
of  the  altar,  against  the  wall,  were  prints  of  Christian 
saints;  on  the  altar  were  censers  and  an  open  bundle  of 
copal.  Two  wooden  boxes  were  at  the  right  end  of  the  altar, 
against  the  wall.  These  contained  munecos  which,  for  some 
time,  Diego  hesitated  to  produce.  Finally  he  took  out  an 
idol  of  rather  fine-grained,  brownish-gray  stone;  the  head 
was  large  and  infantile,  with  the  Mongolian  cast  of  counte- 
nance; its  badly  shaped  and  scrawny  arms  were  raised  so 
as  to  bring  the  hands  together  on  the  chest;  the  body  was 
shapeless.  This  figure  was  clad  in  a  suit  of  unbleached 
cotton,  much  too  long  and  slender  for  it,  and  the  arms  of 
the  camisay  and  the  legs  of  the  calzones  hung  limp.  When 
we  had  duly  admired  this  figure,  a  second  was  produced  — 
a  pottery  female-head,  fairly  shaped,  with  no  body  to  speak 
of;  this  had  glass  earrings  fastened  in  the  ears.  Next,  a 
small  headless  figure  was  brought  out;  it  was  old,  though 
probably  made  after  the  Conquest,  and  we  agreed  that  it 
represented  a  padre.  Next  was  a  simple  pottery  head. 
Last  was  a  figure,  with  small  head  and  pointed  cap,  made 
apparently  of  pottery;  the  body  had  been  pieced  out  to 
disproportionate  length  with  wood,  and  ended  in  a  pair  of 
wooden  feet;  this  was  dressed  in  black  velvet,  and  wore 
a  black  hat.  These,  Diego  asserted,  were  all  he  had.  After 
having  expressed  our  delight  with  them,  and  our  regret 
that  we  had  not  known  what  we  were  to  see,  that  we  might 
have  brought  with  us  some  fine  white  copal  as  incense  for 
these  gods,  we  set  them  up  in  a  straight  line  on  the  edge  of 
the  altar  to  make  a  flashlight  picture.  As  we  left,  we  gave 
Diego  two  reales  to  spend  for  the  benefit  of  his  gods.  After 
we  left,  we  were  assured  that  he  had  finer  ones  of  black 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  271 

stone,  which  he  dresses  in  red,  but  we  were  content  with 
the  ones  we  had  seen.  These  figures  are  particularly  used 
on  September  16th,  San  Miguel's  day.  They  are  also  used 
at  sowing-time,  at  harvest,  and  at  the  first  cutting  of  sugar- 
cane. On  these  occasions,  incense  and  candles  are  burned, 
the  idols  are  taken  in  the  hands,  and  to  the  sound  of  music, 
worshippers  move  the  figures,  causing  them  to  dance. 
Pleased  with  this,  they  give  good  rains  to  the  faithful  wor- 
shippers. When  there  is  too  much  rain,  they  go  in  pro- 
cession to  the  river,  playing  music  and  dancing  dolls; 
when  arrived,  they  peg  down  many  ayates  and  sacks, 
made  for  the  purpose,  into  the  water  against  the  flow. 
These  are  dams,  to  stay  the  flood.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  there  is  drought,  a  procession  carries  the  idols  to  a 
cave,  where  a  feast  is  given  and  a  dance,  with  wands  of 
flowers  carried  in  the  hands,  indulged  in. 

Though  the  price  for  animals  from  Huehuetla  to  Las 
Tortugas  was  exorbitant,  we  had  agreed  to  pay  it  —  but 
told  the  man  that,  if  he  left  later  than  six,  it  should  be  cut 
two  dollars.  It  was  long  after  eight  before  they  appeared, 
and  then  it  was  only  our  own  animals  that  were  ready. 
We  were  forced  to  leave  the  packing  to  be  done  by  the  man 
himself  without  direction;  we  ourselves  hurried  along  the 
trail,  hardly  stopping  at  San  Bartolo  on  the  way,  arriving 
at  Tenango  at  4:15.  Our  animals  were  fagged,  and  we 
were  soaked  to  the  skin,  having  travelled  through  nublina 
most  of  the  afternoon.  Don  Pablo  received  us  with  his 
usual  courtesy,  and  had  arranged  for  us  to  sleep  at  the  same 
house,  where  we  had  been  before.  At  bed -time,  our  man 
with  the  mules  had  not  appeared,  and  we  had  received  most 
contradictory  and  discouraging  statements  regarding  him. 
He  had  started  at  nine  with  two  mules  and  left  half  our 
stuff  for  another  day;  he  had  been  seen  at  the  river  near 
San  Bartolo  with  two  mules  heavily  loaded,  unable  to 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


proceed;  he  had  concluded  to  stop  at  San  Bartolo  for  the 
night,  to  push  on  to  Tenango  the  next  day,  and  reach  Las 
Tortugas  on  the  third.  Dissatisfied  and  uncertain,  we  went 
to  bed;  still,  we  determined  to  leave  at  five,  and  so  gave 
orders  to  our  mozo.  We  rose  at  4:15  and  the  horses  were 
ready  before  five.  Contradictory  stories  were  again  told  us 
regarding  our  animals.  Some  said  the  man  had  passed 
with  them  at  five  o'clock;  others  that  he  had  not  yet  come; 
others  that  he  had  spent  the  night  at  Santa  Maria.  Our 
foot  mozo  did  not  come,  and  sending  the  rest  ahead,  I  waited 
for  him.  Hardly  had  they  started,  when  Ramon  galloped 
back  to  announce  that  the  man  was  in  town,  that  he  had 
three  animals  and  was  nearly  ready  to  leave.  As  he,  him- 
self, had  told  us  that  he  must  leave  Tenango  at  three  in 
order  to  reach  Las  Tortugas  in  time  for  the  train,  this  was 
not  reassuring.  Ramon  hastened  on  with  the  party.  At 
six  the  mozo  appeared  and  started  at  once.  In  a  few  min- 
utes we  passed  our  arriero  who  was  packing,  but  not  ready 
to  start.  I  urged  him  to  hasten,  but  did  not  wait.  Mist 
had  settled  during  the  night,  but  it  was  now  rising,  and  we 
could  see  the  scenery,  which,  in  wildness  and  beauty,  was 
almost  the  equal  of  anything  in  Mexico,  though  with  a  charac- 
ter quite  its  own.  Our  trail  ran  along  the  side  of  a  preci- 
pice; to  our  left  rose  great  cliffs  presenting  almost  vertical 
faces  of  smooth  rock;  the  summits  were  jagged,  and  sug- 
gested that  the  mass  consisted  of  stratified  rocks  tilted  up 
on  end.  Just  as  we  left  town,  two  narrow  and  lofty  parallel 
rocks  suggested  a  gate-way.  Further  down,  a  mass  was 
worn  out  into  a  sharp  column,  a  little  separated  from  the 
rock  mass  behind.  On  the  right,  was  the  precipice,  ever 
abrupt,  and  sometimes  the  almost  vertical  bank  of  a  yawning 
chasm.  After  an  hour  and  a  half  over  the  fairly  good  road, 
we  came  to  a  grand  ascent.  It  was  magnificent,  though 
difficult.    In  some  spots  the  road  was  muddy,  and  at  others 


TEPEHUAS  AND  TOTONACS  273 


it  was  a  series  of  rough  stone  steps ;  at  still  others,  it  was  the 
unmodified  bed  of  a  mountain  torrent.  As  we  followed 
up  this  gorge,  side-gorges  joined  it,  in  which  we  glimpsed 
pretty  cascades,  pits  worn  by  little  falls,  trees,  the  trunks 
of  which  were  covered  with  thick  sheets  of  green  moss, 
quantities  of  tree-ferns  blighted  by  the  late  frost,  cliffs,  and 
wild  forms  of  rock,  in  wonderful  variety.  At  last  I  reached 
the  summit  and  overtook  Manuel,  whose  horse  was  com- 
pletely fagged,  and  who  had  been  forced  to  drop  behind; 
for  some  time  we  saw  the  others  before  us,  but  somewhere 
they  took  a  different  trail,  and  we  saw  them  no  more.  After 
a  considerable  descent,  we  made  our  final  but  easy  rise. 
From  here  we  were  on  a  level  road,  which  constantly  im- 
proved until  near  Mepetec,  while  beyond  it,  we  came  to  a  true 
cart-road.  From  here  a  fine  view  presented  itself,  over  a  forest 
of  pine  trees  to  the  clean  brown  plain  so  typical  of  Hidalgo, 
swept,  as  we  soon  found,  by  the  equally  typical  Hidalgo 
wind.  We  rode  rapidly  from  the  herreria  of  the  Trinidad 
to  Metepec,  and  then  to  Las  Tortugas,  where  we  arrived  at 
1 1 140,  having  been  five  hours  and  a  half  upon  the  road.  To 
our  surprise,  Louis  and  Ramon  were  not  there.  Having 
waited  some  time,  as  it  was  almost  the  hour  for  the  train,  we 
ordered  dinner  for  two,  but  before  we  had  begun  to  eat  the 
others  appeared.  They  had  taken  a  short  road,  which 
did  not  go  by  Metepec,  and  travelled  slowly  that  we  might 
overtake  them.  After  a  good  meal,  we  waited  for  our  man 
with  the  pack  animals.  Meantime  the  train  was  preparing, 
and  we  watched  it,  realizing  that  if  we  missed  it,  we  had  a  day 
of  dust  and  scorching  sun  and  heavy  wind  before  us.  The 
train's  crew  made  all  ready,  the  cry  of  "  Vamonos"  was  given, 
and  we  settled  down  in  desperation  to  await  our  tardy  man. 
An  hour  after  the  train  left,  he  arrived,  received  his  fee  less 
the  two  dollars,  and  started  homeward.  Twenty-three  hours 
later  we  took  the  train,  and  our  season's  work  was  done. 


CHAPTER  XXI 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA 
(1901) 

HPHE  scenery  on  the  Tampico  branch  was  at  its  best, 
as  there  had  been  recent  rains,  and  everything  was 
fresh  and  green.  At  Tampico,  we  resisted  the  attractions 
of  the  hotels  "where  Americans  always  stop,"  and  went 
to  the  unpretentious  Pan  Cardo.  Here  we  were  comfort- 
ably located,  and  early  the  next  morning  tried  to  define  our 
plans.  We  were  in  uncertainty  as  to  what  towns  we  should 
visit  in  order  to  examine  the  Huaxtecs.  The  ancient  Huax- 
tecs  were  among  the  most  interesting  of  Mexican  tribes. 
They  are  a  northern  offshoot  of  that  great  family,  of  which 
the  Maya  of  Yucatan  is  the  type.  The  linguistic  relation- 
ship is  evident  upon  the  most  careless  comparison.  The 
ancient  area  occupied  by  the  Huaxtecs  was  near  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  Panuco  River,  near  the 
mouth  of  which  some  of  their  important  centres  were 
located.  To-day  Mexicans  divide  the  Huaxteca  into  two 
parts, —  the  Huaxteca  Veracruzana  and  the  Huaxteca 
Potosina  —  the  former  in  the  state  of  Vera  Cruz,  the  latter 
in  the  state  of  San  Luis  Potosi.  At  first,  we  thought  to  visit 
the  latter,  but  the  difficulty  of  reaching  it  was  presented  so 
forcibly,  and  the  ease  of  reaching  the  Huaxteca  Vera- 
cruzana so  emphasized,  that  we  determined  upon  the  latter, 
and  selected  the  town  of  Ozuluama  for  our  central  point. 
We  could  go  by  canoes  across  the  river  to  Pueblo  Viejo, 
where  we  could  secure  horses  for  the  further  journey.  We 

were  led  to  believe  that  it  would  be  easy  to  make  the  trip 

274 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA  275 


in  a  single  day.  We  had  arranged  for  a  canoe  over  night. 
It  belonged  in  Pueblo  Viejo,  and  it  was  to  come  over  early 
in  the  morning;  we  were  at  the  wharf  at  six,  ready  to  start, 
but  no  canoe  was  in  sight.  Not  only  so,  but  a  norther  was 
blowing,  and  comforters,  lounging  on  the  wharf  assured  us 
that  no  canoe  would  come  from  Pueblo  Viejo  until  the  storm 
ceased,  which  would  not  be  for  twenty-four  hours.  We 
were  loath  to  believe  this  information,  and  brought  all 
our  baggage  from  the  various  storing-places,  where  we  had 
left  it,  out  onto  the  wharf.  Time  passed;  the  norther 
continued,  and  no  canoe  from  Pueblo  Viejo  came.  Think- 
ing that  it  might  be  possible  to  secure  a  canoe  from  here 
to  Pueblo  Viejo,  we  dickered  with  a  boatman  at  the  wharf. 
We  had  agreed  to  pay  for  the  canoe  ordered  $1.00  for  the 
journey,  which  was  something  more  than  the  regular  price. 
The  man  with  whom  we  now  were  talking  declared  that 
he  would  not  take  us  across  for  less  than  $3.50.  We  were 
on  the  point  of  yielding  to  necessity,  when  a  rival  appeared 
and  offered  to  do  the  work  for  $2.50.  Such  is  human  per- 
versity that  we  now  insisted  that  he  must  go  for  $2.00, 
'  which  he  finally  agreed  to  do.  Hurrying  away  to  get  his 
canoe,  he  soon  appeared,  and  our  hearts  sank.  The  man 
who  had  demanded  $3.50  had  a  large,  well-built  boat, 
which  should  stand  any  wind  and  water.  The  man  whom 
we  had  engaged  had  a  canoe  so  narrow,  low,  and  small 
that  we  doubted  his  ability  to  perform  his  contract;  how- 
ever, he  assured  us  that  all  would  be  well,  and  showed 
himself  so  skilful  in  packing  our  stuff  into  his  boat,  that  we 
ourselves  embarked,  and  started  down  the  little  lagoon  in 
his  canoe.  So  long  as  we  remained  in  this  narrow,  sheltered 
stream,  all  was  well;  but  when  he  poled  from  its  mouth  out 
to  the  open  river,  we  found  it  a  different  matter.  More 
than  this,  we  saw  two  or  three  canoes  dancing  over  the 
white  caps,  and  managed  with  great  difficulty,  although  not 


276 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


loaded.  The  courage  of  our  boatman  was  a  little  dashed; 
he  suggested  that  we  leave  Ramon,  Louis,  and  Manuel  on 
an  old  scow  standing  on  the  bank  and  fast  going  to  ruin, 
while  he  poled  myself  and  the  luggage  over,  after  which  he 
would  return  for  my  companions.  This  seemed  good  sense, 
and  the  boys  were  left  behind.  It  was  interesting  to  see 
the  skill  with  which  the  man  handled  our  rather  awkward 
craft,  loaded  at  it  was  almost  to  the  water's  edge.  He  had 
no  motive  power  but  his  long  pole.  We  did  not  ship  a 
single  drop  of  water,  and  at  last  entered  the  quiet,  broad, 
canal-like  lagoon  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  A  moment 
more,  and  we  were  unloading  our  luggage  onto  the  shore. 
To  do  this,  we  were  forced  to  wade  through  mud  up  to  the 
knees.  But  at  last  all  was  safe,  and  with  his  empty  canoe, 
our  boatman  started  merrily  back  for  his  other  passengers. 
When  they  arrived,  only  a  few  minutes  were  necessary  for 
reloading  the  canoe,  and  we  started  up  the  lagoon.  Little 
side  lagoons  opened  frequently  into  the  one  through  which 
we  passed.  At  their  mouths  were  V-shaped  weirs  of  stakes, 
driven  into  the  bottom  and  wattled  together  with  flexible 
twigs.  These  were  open  at  the  mouth,  and  in  the  openings 
were  set  dip-nets,  which  could  be  lowered  into  the  water. 
Just  now,  with  the  heavy  norther  blowing,  thousands  of 
camaron  (shrimps)  were  driven  into  the  nets,  and  at  each 
one  we  saw  fishermen  busily  occupied.  The  lagoon 
abounded  in  water-birds  of  many  kinds,  and  hardly  had 
we  entered  it,  when  Louis  shot  a  pretty,  small  white  heron. 

Believing  that  the  owner  of  animals  to  whom  we  had 
been  referred  was  demanding  too  high  a  price  for  his  horses 
and  mules,  we  decided  to  see  what  the  town  authorities 
would  do  for  us,  and  went  to  the  municipio.  The  presi- 
dente  told  us,  with  delight,  that  the  jeje  politico  of  Ozu- 
luama  was  there  with  his  family,  rusticating,  and  at  once 
summoned  him  to  meet  us.    He  was  a  gentlemanly  fellow, 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA  277 


who  told  us  that  the  price  demanded  was  regular,  but  ad 
vised  us  to  travel  in  a  different  way.  "Here,"  he  said,  "you 
can  get  a  large  canoe;  starting  now,  you  can  travel  all 
night;  reaching  La  Llave  in  the  early  morning,  you  can  get 
horses  and  go  the  seven  leagues  remaining  comfortably. 
Take  a  little  something  to  eat  before  you  start,  and  carry 
something  for  the  way."  This  seemed  an  opportunity 
for  a  new  experience,  and,  though  the  price  was  little,  if 
any,  less  than  we  were  asked  to  pay  for  animals,  we  decided 
to  try  it.  Arrangements  were  begun  at  once,  breakfast 
ordered,  and  a  light  lunch  prepared  for  carrying.  Mean- 
time, the  jefe  told  us  that  there  were  few  indians  in  Ozu- 
luama,  but  that  in  Citlaltepec  we  would  find  abundance. 
He  gave  us  orders  to  his  secretario,  who  represented  him  dur- 
ing his  absence,  and  bade  us  god-speed.  We  left  at  one 
o'clock,  in  a  great  canoe,  a  heavy,  timber-framed  boat, 
propelled  by  long  poles,  by  oars  in  quiet  and  deep  water, 
and  by  a  clumsy  sail.  A  framework  of  poles,  covered  with 
matting,  roofed  over  the  middle  of  the  boat,  and  a  piece  of 
matting  was  spread  upon  the  floor.  Hanging  blankets 
to  shelter  ourselves  from  the  heavy  wind  yet  blowing,  we 
busied  ourselves  variously,  the  boys  skinning  birds  which 
they  had  shot,  and  I  making  up  my  various  notes.  The 
lagoon  which  we  now  entered  was  a  large  stretch  of  open 
water.  We  raised  our  sail,  and  made  easy  work.  Having 
crossed  the  large  lagoon,  we  entered  the  mouth  of  what 
probably  would  be  considered  a  fair-sized  river,  which  at 
first  was  closely  bordered  by  a  tangle  of  trees  and  vines,  and 
presented  a  truly  tropical  appearance.  Palms  were  abun- 
dant, and,  here  and  there,  one  of  unusual  size  towered  high 
above  the  rest.  The  other  trees  were  densely  hung  with 
long  gray  moss.  Now  and  then,  we  disturbed  alligators 
along  the  banks,  and  we  were  told  that  snakes  were  abun- 
dant in  the  grass.    The  quantity  of  water-birds  was  aston- 


278  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ishing  —  great  and  small  white  herons,  large  blue  herons, 
little  blue  herons,  the  curious,  dark  wry-necks,  and  ducks 
by  thousands.  The  positions  and  attitudes  of  these  long- 
necked  and  long-legged  birds,  in  the  water  and  on  the  trees, 
were  curious  and  striking.  The  boys  kept  busy  shooting 
and  skinning  birds  all  the  afternoon.  In  the  evening,  the  men 
built  a  fire  with  charcoal  in  a  tin-lined  box  in  the  end  of  the 
canoe,  and  toasted  tortillas  and  made  coffee.  The  awning 
was  scarcely  large  enough  to  cover  the  whole  party  com- 
fortably, when  we  lay  down  to  sleep,  but  we  wrapped  up  in 
blankets  and  spread  mats  for  beds.  We  suffered  intensely 
with  the  cold,  sleeping  little.  At  five  o'clock  our  boat 
came  to  a  stop  along  the  bank,  and  at  six  it  was  light  enough 
to  disembark  and  explore.  Climbing  up  a  little  bank  of 
clay,  we  found  ourselves  on  a  flat  meadow,  covered  with 
grass  and  weeds,  through  which  narrow  trails  ran  to  a  few 
scattered  palm-thatched  huts.  With  a  letter  from  the 
jefe,  we  called  at  Sefiora  Mora's  house.  This  lady  was  a 
widow,  whose  husband  had  but  lately  died;  she  was  well 
to  do,  and  promised  to  supply  us  with  animals  after  we 
should  have  had  our  breakfast.  This  was  long  preparing, 
but  at  last  good  coffee,  fine  enchiladas  and  cheese  were 
served,  and,  after  eating  heartily,  we  found  six  animals 
ready  for  us.  When  we  asked  for  our  account,  the  good 
lady  replied  that  the  bill  was  $2.00.  It  was  plain  that  she 
had  made  no  charge  for  either  breakfast  or  animals,  but  only 
something  for  the  boys  whom  she  sent  along  to  bring  back 
the  beasts.  At  about  eleven,  we  started  on  what  was  called 
seven  leagues,  but  what  was  certainly  the  longest  nine 
leagues  we  had  travelled  for  a  long  time. .  We  had  excellent 
horses  that  kept  up  a  steady  jog.  Still,  it  was  after  five 
when  we  reached  Ozuluama.  The  journey  was  for  the 
most  part  over  a  llano,  thicket-covered  and  sprinkled,  here 
and  there,  with  groves  of  palm;  the  soil  was  dark  clay, 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA 


279 


which  in  spots,  wet  by  recent  rains,  was  hard  travelling 
for  the  animals.  We  caught  sight  of  the  town,  prettily 
located  upon  a  hill-slope,  about  an  hour  before  we  reached 
it.  From  it,  we  looked  out  over  an  extensive  stretch  of 
dark  green  plains,  broken,  here  and  there,  by  little  wooded 
hillocks,  none  of  them  so  large  as  that  upon  which  Ozu- 
luama  itself  is  situated.  Riding  to  the,  town-house,  the 
secretario  was  at  once  sent  for.  He  ordered  supper,  and 
put  a  comfortable  room,  behind  the  office,  at  our  disposal. 
On  the  back  porch,  just  at  our  door,  was  chained  a  tiger-cat. 
It  belonged  to  the  jefe,  and  was  a  favorite  with  his  little 
children,  but  since  they  had  been  gone,  it  had  been  teased 
until  it  had  developed  an  ugly  disposition.  It  was  a  beau- 
tiful little  creature,  graceful  in  form  and  elegantly  spotted. 
But  it  snarled  and  strove  to  get  at  everyone  who  came  near 
it.  The  secretario  at  once  told  us  that  Citlaltepec  was 
not  the  point  we  ought  to  aim  for,  as  it  was  purely  Aztec; 
our  best  plan  was  to  go  to  Tamalin,  where  we  would  find 
one  congregation  of  Huaxtecs.  From  there,  if  we  needed 
further  subjects,  we  might  go  to  Tancoco,  although  it  did 
not  belong  to  this  district,  but  to  that  of  Tuxpan.  In  the 
course  of  our  conversation,  I  was  reminded  that  Ozuluama 
is  the  home  of  Alejandro  Marcelo,  a  full-blooded  Huaxtec, 
who  once  published  a  book  upon  the  Huaxtec  language. 
Expressing  an  interest  in  meeting  this  man,  he  was  sent 
for.  He  is  far  older  than  I  had  realized,  celebrating  his 
74th  birthday  that  very  week.  He  was  a  man  of  unusual 
intelligence  and  most  gentle  manner.  At  nine  o'clock 
next  morning,  supplied  with  new  animals,  we  started  for 
Tamalin,  said  to  be  thirteen  leagues  distant.  We  were  well 
mounted,  and  the  journey  was  much  like  that  of  the  preced- 
ing day.  For  three  hours  we  were  impressed  with  the  lone- 
liness of  the  road;  no  people  were  to  be  seen  anywhere. 
Here  and  there,  set  far  back  from  the  road,  were  country 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


houses.  The  road  itself  was  an  extremely  wide  one,  cut 
through  a  woods,  which  consisted  for  the  most  part  of  low 
and  scrubby  trees,  with  scattered  clumps  of  palm  trees 
here  and  there.  Usually  the  trail  was  single,  but  where 
we  came  on  mud  patches,  many  little  trails  were  distributed 
over  the  whole  breadth  of  the  road.  Here  and  there,  where 
there  were  particularly  bad  spots,  into  which  our  horses 
would  have  sunk  knee-deep,  we  were  forced  to  take  trails 
back  among  the  trees.  While  the  earlier  part  of  the 
journey  was  through  rolling  country,  we  came  at  noon  into 
a  true  plain,  though  wooded.  We  found  many  cross 
roads,  broad  and  straight,  cut  through  the  woods,  and  were 
impressed  by  the  great  number  of  dry  barrancas  into  which 
we  had  to  descend,  and  out  of  which  we  had  to  climb. 
Most  of  these  were  actually  dry,  but  many  of  them  con 
tained  a  dirty  pool  of  stagnant  water.  At  many  places, 
the  road  was  bordered  with  plants,  the  leaves  of  which 
somewhat  resembled  those  of  the  pineapple.  They  were 
light  green  in  color,  narrow  and  long-pointed  at  the  upper 
end,  and  spiny  along  the  sides.  This  plant,  named  gua- 
mara,  bears  spikes  of  yellow  fruits  which  are  pointed  at  the 
upper  end,  but  in  color,  size,  texture,  structure  and  taste 
reminded  us  of  podophyllum,  though  it  leaves  a  prickly 
sensation  in  the  mouth,  much  like  that  produced  by  fresh 
pineapples.  There  were  also  many  trees  bearing  little 
limes  or  lemons,  of  which  we  gathered  abundance  for  mak 
ing  lemonade.  At  two  o'clock  our  man  pointed  out  a 
ranch-house  near  the  road,  in  front  of  which  two  men  sat 
eating,  and  told  us  we  could  procure  food  and  drink  there 
if  we  wished,  and  that  we  had  plenty  of  time  for  stopping. 
We  found  the  men  at  the  table  to  be  the  parish  priest  of 
Tantima  and  his  servant.  The  priest  informed  us  that 
Tamalin  was  three  and  three-fourths  leagues  away,  while 
Tantima  was  four.    The  road  for  the  greater  part  of  the 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA 


281 


distance  to  the  two  places  was  the  same.  We  had  an  inter- 
esting conversation  with  the  good  priest,  and  for  the  first 
time  we  met  the  curious  prejudice,  which  exists  throughout 
this  portion  of  the  Huaxteca,  against  the  Huaxtecs,  and  in 
favor  of  the  Aztecs.  We  were  kept  waiting  some  little  time 
for  our  dinner,  but  by  three  o'clock  were  again  upon  our 
way.  Just  as  we  started,  we  crossed  the  first  true  stream 
which  we  had  met,  but  during  the  balance  of  the  journey 
we  crossed  one  or  two  others.  Soon,  leaving  the  main 
road,  we  bore  off  to  the  left,  and  found  several  bad  spots 
of  stiff  black  mud,  into  which  our  poor  animals  sank  fright- 
fully. After  five  o'clock  we  saw,  from  the  slope  on  which 
we  were,  for  we  had  left  the  llano  and  were  again  in  rolling 
country,  a  little  village,  and  higher  and  further  to  the  left, 
a  second.  The  first  of  these  was  Gutierrez  Zamora,  which 
is  Huaxtec,  with  a  few  Mexican  families  living  at  one  side; 
the  second  was  our  destination,  Tamalin.  We  passed 
through  Gutierrez  at  six,  and  reached  Tamalin  at  seven. 

The  alcalde  of  the  village  was  not  there;  in  fact,  we 
suspect  that  he  but  rarely  is.  The  secretario,  likewise,  was 
absent.  We  finally  prevailed  upon  his  brother  to  help  us  to 
find  an  indian  girl  to  cook  our  meals,  and  a  room  in  the 
secretary's  house.  In  this  room  there  was  but  a  single  bed, 
and  our  helper  thought  me  very  particular  in  demanding 
that  petates  should  be  brought  as  beds  for  my  companions. 
He  assured  us  that,  when  he  traveled,  he  slept  upon  the 
floor,  without  petates.  It  was  long  after  10  o'clock  before  we 
had  supper  and  secured  a  resting-place.  We  had  planned 
to  push  out  from  here  the  following  morning;  no  sign, 
however,  of  our  baggage  had  appeared,  and  we  were  forced  to 
spend  two  days  at  Tamalin  waiting  for  its  coming.  Here, 
too,  we  found  that  there  were  no  Huaxtecs,  the  town  being, 
so  far  as  it  was  indian,  purely  Aztec.  We  decided,  there- 
fore, to  try  Tancoco,  returning,  if  need  be,  to  Gutierrez. 


282 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Both  Gutierrez  and  Tancoco  were  in  the  district  of  Tuxpan. 
Fortunately,  we  still  carried  our  last  year's  letter  from  the 
governor  of  Vera  Cruz  to  serve  us  with  the  local  authorities, 
as  it  would  be  most  inconvenient  to  go  to  Tuxpan  for  orders. 
Seeing  that  it  was  impossible  to  leave  that  day,  I  walked  in 
the  afternoon  to  Tantima  to  visit  the  priest.  Between  the 
two  towns  rises  a  fine,  high  rock  hill.  The  ascent  from 
Tamalin  was  in  three  slopes,  with  short  levels  between; 
the  crest  was  but  a  few  yards  wide;  the  descent  to  Tantima 
was  abrupt  and  short.  From  the  summit  we  looked  down 
upon  the  pretty,  level,  enclosed  valley  occupied  by  a  rather 
regular  town,  built  about  a  large  plaza  which,  the  day  being 
a  market  day,  was  gay  with  booths  and  people.  I  met 
almost  the  whole  population  of  Tamalin  on  my  way  over,  as 
they  returned  from  market.  All  the  men  were  drunk; 
some  were  so  helpless  that  they  sprawled  upon  the  road, 
while  others  were  being  helped  by  their  more  sober  com- 
rades. I  reached  the  plaza  just  thirty-seven  minutes  after 
leaving  Tamalin,  and  at  once  telegraphed  to  Ozuluama 
about  the  baggage.  When  I  inquired  for  the  priest's 
house,  the  telegraph  operator  informed  me  that  the  padre 
had  told  him  all  about  us  and  our  errand  and  that  he  would 
accompany  me  to  the  curato.  Crossing  the  square,  we 
found  the  padre  living  in  a  comfortable  place,  close  by 
the  great,  pretentious,  stone  church.  We  were  warmly 
welcomed,  and  orders  were  at  once  given  for  coffee.  The 
Aztec  servant  hastened  to  bring  some,  piping  hot,  and  was 
quite  abashed  at  being  sharply  reproved  for  offering  it 
directly  to  me.  No,  indeed,  a  gentlemen  so  distinguished 
was  not  to  be  thus  served;  the  table  was  moved  up  before 
my  chair,  a  clean  cloth  spread,  sweet  cakes  were  sent  for,  a 
glass  of  fresh  milk  placed,  and  then  the  coffee  was  set  upon 
the  table.  Thus,  in  solitary  grandeur,  I  sat  and  ate  and 
drank,  while  the  priest  and  operator  took  their  cups  of  coffee 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA  283 


in  their  hands.  Though  we  had  ordered  horses  for  the 
following  morning,  the  baggage  had  not  come,  and  we 
waited  all  the  day.  Strolling  around  the  village,  we  found 
it  a  pretty  place,  through  which  ran  a  fine  stream, 
separating  the  houses  into  groups  or  clusters.  It  is  a 
true  Aztec  town,  and  the  houses  are  well-constructed. 
Several  houses  are  set  irregularly  within  a  single  enclosure; 
the  walls  are  built  of  poles  set  upright,  but  these  are  so 
heavily  daubed  with  a  mixture  of  mud  and  chopped  straw 
that  they  are  strong  and  durable.  In  applying  this  daub, 
the  hand  is  used,  and  a  simple  block  of  wood  of  rectangular 
form,  with  a  projecting  edge  extending  midway  of  the  upper 
side,  is  used  as  a  trowel  for  spreading  it,  and  giving  it  a 
smooth  finish.  The  thatchings  are  thick,  and  project  far 
beyond  the  walls;  they  are  of  palm,  and  neatly  cut  at  the 
edges;  a  cresting,  thin,  but  evenly  placed  and  firmly  pegged 
down,  projects  over  the  ridge,  down  either  slope,  and  its 
edges  form  the  only  break  in  the  smooth  surface.  Many 
of  the  houses  had  temascals,  differing  considerably  from 
those  of  Puebla  and  Tlaxcala.  They  are  rectangular;  the 
walls  are  built  of  poles,  set  upright,  close  together,  and 
strengthened  by  being  lashed  to  a  horizontal  timber  set 
midway  of  their  height.  The  roof  is  a  round  vault  or  arch  of 
poles  set  lengthwise.  The  whole  is  neatly  plastered  over 
with  a  mixture  of  mud  and  chopped  straw,  and  in  the  front 
a  cross  is  worked  in  the  clay  mixture,  to  insure  good  fortune. 
The  women  here  wove  cotton  in  the  usual  indian  fashion,  but 
few  wore  the  old  dress,  and  those  few  were  mostly  aged. 
We  noticed  quantities  of  pottery  here,  and  throughout  the 
Huaxteca,  but  none  of  it  is  local  in  manufacture.  Most  of 
it  has  come  from  the  two  towns,  Huejutla,  an  Aztec  town, 
and  Panuco.  We  were  forced  to  spend  a  third  night  at 
Tamalin.  The  secretario  had  been  at  home  for  two  days 
and  had  fairly  done  his  duty;  still,  our  animals  were  late  when 


284  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


we  were  ready  to  start  the  following  morning,  and  we  were 
not  off  until  9 :3c  It  was  a  steady  climb,  over  a  long  series 
of  ascents,  until  we  reached  a  crest  from  which  Tancoco 
could  be  seen.  We  made  a  long  descent  and  then  a  little 
upward  climb  to  the  town,  which  is  notable  for  its  cleanli- 
ness and  the  industry  and  cleanness  of  its  inhabitants.  The 
town  is  situated  upon  a  little  hill,  from  which  one  looks  out  on 
a  sea  of  green  forests,  with  little  rocky  hillocks  covered  with 
trees  rising  from  it,  here  and  there,  like  wooded  islands. 
Between  us  and  Tamalin  rose  a  semi-circle  of  ridges, 
sweeping  from  us  off  to  the  left  and  forward  in  the  distance. 
In  front,  near  the  top  of  this  curve  of  ridges,  two  leagues 
distant,  lay  Amatlan,  clear  and  impressive,  from  this  point. 
Riding  up  to  the  little  town-house,  which  had  a  portico 
enclosed  by  a  neat  railing  and  supplied  with  pine  benches, 
we  dismounted,  and,  with  some  doubt  as  to  its  reception, 
presented  our  old  letter.  The  secretario  was  an  intelligent 
mestizo  from  Tuxpan.  He  sent  at  once  for  the  alcalde, 
who  was  a  good-natured,  little  Huaxtec,  of  pure  blood, 
thoroughly  dependent  upon  his  subordinate  officer.  We 
were  promised  everything.  The  school-house,  remarkably 
clean,  was  put  at  our  disposal,  and  a  messenger  was  sent  to 
notify  an  old  woman  named  Guadelupe  that  she  was  to 
prepare  our  meals.  Before  four  o'clock,  work  was  under 
way,  and  during  the  two  days  that  we  remained,  there 
were  no  difficulties.  The  houses  of  the  town  are  somewhat 
like  those  of  Tamalin,  but  less  well  built.  The  single 
industry  is  the  weaving  of  hats  from  palm.  On  the  house- 
roofs,  and  on  the  ground  before  the  houses,  palm  was  drying. 
Some  of  the  work  was  extremely  delicate,  and  the  four 
grades  of  hats  sell  for  from  four  pesos  upward.  Men,  women 
and  children  are  all  occupied  in  the  manufacture,  and  as 
they  sit  in  their  houses  or  at  the  door  of  an  evening,  or  as 
they  walk  through  the  village  on  errands,  their  hands  are 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA  285 


ever  busily  occupied  with  the  plaiting.  There  is  absolutely 
nothing  characteristic  in  dress,  both  men  and  women 
dressing  like  mestizos  in  the  important  cities  of  the  Republic. 
Almost  every  one  wears  shoes;  women,  those  with  high 
French  heels.  A  resident  tailor  makes  the  bulk  of  the 
clothing  for  the  more  particular  men  of  the  town.  In  our 
school-room  we  were  supplied  with  good  kerosene  lamps, 
an  experience  almost  unique.  Few,  if  any,  of  the  houses  in 
the  village  were  without  the  same  mode  of  light.  Many, 
if  not  all,  of  the  women  had  sewing-machines. 

We  were  more  than  ever  impressed  with  the  anomalous 
condition  of  these  people  in  their  own  land.  They  were 
the  cleanest,  most  industrious,  best  dressed  and  most  pro- 
gressive indians  whom  we  had  seen  in  any  part  of  Mexico; 
but  in  the  Huaxteca,  the  land  which  bears  their  name,  they 
are  being  crowded  by  the  less  progressive  Aztecs.  Mestizos 
and  Aztecs  both  speak  of  them  with  contempt,  and  treat 
them  like  dogs.  As  for  their  language,  it  is  neglected  and 
despised;  while  many  of  them  know  both  Spanish  and 
Aztec,  neither  mestizo  nor  Aztec  considers  it  worth  while 
to  know  a  word  of  Huaxtec.  While  we  had  no  trouble  with 
the  men,  we  began  to  feel  that  the  women  would  fail  us. 
It  was  after  five  o'clock,  the  last  day  of  our  stay,  before  a 
single  one  appeared.  Then  they  came  in  a  body,  accom- 
panied by  the  full  town  force,  and  each  with  her  husband 
as  a  guard,  to  our  quarters.  They  were  dressed  in  their 
best  calico,  muslin,  silk  and  satin,  with  laces  and  artificial 
flowers,  earrings,  necklaces,  and  with  shoes  the  heels  of 
which  measured  from  thirty  to  thirty-five  millimeters.  They 
were  perfumed;  their  hair  was  heavily  oiled  with  odorous 
greases.  Each  shook  hands  with  our  whole  party,  greeted 
us  politely,  and  sat  down  on  the  long  school-benches,  waiting 
for  her  turn  for  measurement.  Notwithstanding  this 
rather  oppressively  lady-like  mode  of  procedure,  we  were 


286 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


assured  by  old  Guadelupe  that  our  errand  and  work  in  the 
town  had  caused  much  terror  and  doubt,  the  women  par- 
ticularly feeling  sure  that  it  boded  ill.  It  was  said  that  they 
recalled  the  fact  that  years  ago  certain  of  their  old  men 
predicted  that  strangers  would  eventually  come  to  the 
village,  who  would  bewitch  the  people  and  destroy  the  town. 
It  was  commonly  believed  that  we  were  now  fulfilling  this 
prediction. 

The  physical  type  of  the  Huaxtecs  seems  to  be  well 
marked.  A  peculiar  gray  tint  underlies  the  brown  color 
of  the  skin.  The  head  is  short,  broad,  and  curiously  com- 
pressed behind;  the  eyes  are  wide  apart,  and  frequently 
oblique;  the  mouth  is  large,  with  thick  but  not  projecting 
lips. 

We  had  planned  to  leave  about  the  middle  of  the  after 
noon,  and  at  3:50  the  best  animals  we  have  ever  had 
were  ready  for  our  use.  A  magnificent  horse,  the  special 
pride  of  the  alcalde  himself,  was  put  at  my  disposal.  When 
we  came  to  settle  for  the  animals,  all  payment  was  refused, 
their  use  being  the  voluntary  offering  of  the  town  officials. 
The  animals  made  nothing  of  the  journey,  and  within  an 
hour  and  a  half  we  had  again  reached  Tamalin. 

We  found  that  Aztec  town  as  disagreeable  as  ever. 
Solemn  promises  had  been  made  that  various  danzas  should 
be  ready  for  us,  and  that  there  should  be  no  delay  regarding 
animals.  Of  course,  we  found  nothing  doing.  The  only 
satisfactory  memory  connected  with  the  town  is  our  cook, 
Porfiria.  She  was  a  master  hand,  and  with  training,  should 
make  a  reputation  and  a  fortune.  A  pure  indian,  we 
would  rather  eat  at  her  table  than  at  that  of  any  half-breed 
cook  in  all  that  section.  She  always  had  quantities  of 
food,  and  no  two  meals  were  alike.  Unless  we  expressly 
ordered  something  we  had  had  before,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
she  would  have  repeated  a  single  dish.    Her  enchiladas^ 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA  287 


seasoned  with  cheese  and  onions,  were  the  best  we  ever  had, 
and  after  the  first  experience,  we  insisted  on  having  them 
at  every  meal.  Her  masterpieces  were  in  simple  maize. 
Her  tortillas  were  good,  but  tortillas  one  finds  everywhere; 
she  served  cocoles,  chavacanes,  and  pemol.  Cocoles  are  round, 
flat  biscuits  or  cakes  of  maize,  a  couple  of  inches  across 
and  half  an  inch  in  diameter;  they  contain  shortening,  and 
when  served  hot,  are  delicious.  Chavacanes  are  thin,  flat 
square  crackers  of  corn-meal  with  shortening  and  eggs; 
they  are  good  even  when  cold,  but  are  best  when  hot  from 
the  griddle.  Pemol  is  a  corn-cake,  crumbly,  sweet,  and 
baked;  it  contains  sugar  and  shortening,  and  is  made  up 
into  the  form  of  rather  large  cakes,  shaped  like  horse-collars. 

As  the  result  of  vigorous  remonstrance,  the  secretario 
really  had  the  danza  of  los  Negros  at  his  house  that  night. 
Music  was  furnished  by  pito  and  huehuetl.  The  two  per- 
formers, one  representing  a  Spaniard  and  the  other  a  negro, 
were  masked.  The  action  was  lively,  and  the  dialogue 
vociferous  —  both  players  frequently  talking  at  once.  The 
dance  was  kept  up  until  nearly  ten  o'clock,  after  which, 
as  we  planned  an  early  start,  we  were  soon  in  bed.  Just 
as  we  were  dropping  off  to  sleep,  we  heard  the  whistling 
and  roaring  of  the  norther  outside,  and  the  cold  air  found 
its  way  through  every  crack  into  our  room.  From  our  house 
the  musicians  and  the  dancers  had  gone  to  the  syndico's, 
where  they  stayed  some  time;  but,  between  one  and  two 
in  the  morning,  they  came  back  to  our  house  and  played  in 
the  room  next  to  ours,  with  the  door  wide  open.  Our 
interest  was  not  great  enough  to  lead  us  forth  again.  Finally 
they  left,  but  at  four  o'clock  the  musicians,  now  quite 
drunk,  appeared  again,  and  for  a  long  time  the  secretario, 
his  lady,  and  the  school-master,  danced  in  lonely  grandeur 
up  and  down  the  room. 

Don  Leandro,  the  secretario,  had  promised  to  accom- 


288 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


pany  us  the  following  morning  as  far  as  San  Geronimo. 
We  had  decided  to  go  on  horseback  to  Paso  Real,  a  little 
distance  beyond  San  Geronimo,  and  there  take  boat  for 
Tampico.  When  morning  came,  we  expressed  surprise 
over  Don  Leandro's  charging  rent,  in  addition  to  the  rather 
large  price  which  we  had  already  paid  for  beds.  This 
seemed  to  hurt  his  sensitive  feelings,  with  the  result  that  we 
started  without  his  company.  The  ride  was  monotonous, 
over  a  road  which  made  few  ascents  or  descents,  and  pre- 
sented little  of  variety  or  interest.  Little  green  hills  bordered 
the  road  on  either  side,  and  on  many  of  them  were  ranch- 
houses,  some  of  rather  good  construction.  In  a  little 
stream  over  which  we  passed,  we  saw  a  great  idol's  head,  of 
stone,  a  foot  or  more  across,  and  well  made.  San  Geron- 
imo we  found  to  be  the  comfortable  country-house  of  the 
alcalde  of  Tamalin  and  all  the  ranches  among  which 
we  had  made  our  journey.  It  was  a  fine  old  place,  with 
high  airy  rooms,  good  verandas,  and  as  old-fashioned  tiled 
roof.  Our  journey  had  been  hot,  and  we  found  a  fine 
breeze  blowing  through  the  house.  The  alcalde  knew  all 
about  our  errand  and  was  ready  to  be  helpful.  He  was 
a  tall,  slender,  mild-mannered  and  polite  mestizo.  After 
we  had  eaten,  he  rode  with  us  to  Paso  Real  to  arrange  about 
a  boat  and  point  out  various  objects  of  interest  on  the  way. 
Chapapote,  from  which  chewing  gum  is  made,  is  an  impor- 
tant product  here,  and  among  those  interested  in  it  as  a 
business  is  an  American  dentist.  We  saw  many  birds, 
among  which  doves  were  conspicuous;  the  alcalde  says  that 
six  or  eight  species  occur  here,  the  different  kinds  singing 
at  different  seasons;  one  of  them  had  a  peculiarly  sad  and 
mournful  song,  and  is  heard  in  the  early  morning.  An- 
other bird,  the  primavera,  seems  to  be  like  our  mocking- 
bird, imitating  the  notes  and  cries  of  many  other  birds  and 
animals.    At  two  places  we  passed  black  lines  of  fora- 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA  289 


ging  ants,  and  he  told  us  that  insects,  frogs,  toads,  and  even 
snakes,  encountered  by  these  lines,  are  helpless,  being 
promptly  overcome  and  devoured.  Arrived  at  Paso  Real, 
the  alcalde  arranged  for  our  boat.  He  told  us  that  loaded 
boats  require  three  days  for  making  the  journey  to  Tam- 
pico,  but  that  ours,  being  empty,  would  probably  go  through 
in  twenty-four  hours.  The  boat  he  arranged  for  had  been 
partly  loaded,  but  its  owner  had  agreed  to  unload  in  order 
to  receive  us.  As  a  favor  to  him,  we  consented  to  permit  five 
or  six  not  large  boxes  to  go  along.  Having  ordered  supper 
for  us  at  the  house  upon  the  summit  from  which  the  road 
descended  to  Paso  Real,  the  alcalde  left  us.  Supper  was  slow, 
but  at  last  was  over.  Our  baggage  had  already  been  carried 
to  the  boat,  and  we  strolled  down  to  take  our  passage. 
Less  room  was  left  for  us  than  we  had  expected  the  boxes 
would  leave,  but  it  was  dark  and  we  raised  no  question. 
We  waited  an  impatient  hour  for  our  canoemen  to  take 
their  supper,  being  almost  devoured  by  mosquitoes,  but  at 
last  were  off  at  nine  o'clock.  Our  force  consisted  of  two 
men  and  a  little  lad.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  two  could 
be  accommodated  beneath  the  awning,  and  Manuel  and  I 
took  our  places  outside.  For  my  own  part,  sleep  was  im- 
possible. Now  that  we  were  in  motion,  the  mosquitoes 
ceased  to  trouble  us.  The  stream  was  narrow,  and  on 
account  of  the  curves,  we  were  forced  to  move  slowly.  We 
floated  out  under  and  beneath  bamboos,  which  hung  far 
over  the  water  and  outlined  themselves  like  lace-work 
against  the  sky.  At  first,  there  was  moonlight.  Later, 
the  moon  set,  but  the  stars  were  brilliant.  The  early  morn- 
ing was  cold,  and  a  heavy  dew  dampened  everything  out- 
side the  awning.  During  the  day  our  men  stopped  on  every 
pretext  to  rest  and  sleep,  and  whenever  we  came  to  a  con- 
siderable stretch  of  water,  any  sign  of  storm  or  cloud  was 
heralded.    Just  before  daybreak,  we  had  reached  the  be- 


290 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ginning  of  the  first  large  lagoon.  Here  our  sail  was  hoisted, 
though  it  was  of  little  use,  while  we  poled  along  near  shore, 
following  all  the  long  curves.  Our  first  stop,  on  account  of  a 
norther,  was  exciting;  from  the  anxiety  of  the  men,  we 
expected  to  be  instantly  upset.  We  ran  into  the  mouth  of 
a  little  stream  and  lay  to,  and  the  men  were  almost  instantly 
asleep.  Our  party  went  out  exploring ;  our  landing  place  was 
a  heap  of  shells,  whether  artificial  or  natural  I  am  not  sure; 
the  place  was  a  favorite  spot  with  hunters  of  caimans,  or 
alligators,  and  we  found  numbers  of  almost  complete  skele- 
tons and  skulls  lying  on  the  banks.  The  boys  picked 
up  quantities  of  scales  and  teeth,  and  it  was  interesting 
to  see  how  the  new  conical  teeth  grow  up  under  the  hollows  of 
the  old  ones.  We  killed  a  duck  or  two  for  supper.  One  or 
two  large  caimans  were  seen,  as  we  strolled  along.  Finally, 
I  insisted  upon  the  men  starting  again.  We  were  travers- 
ing a  system  of  great  lagoons  which  opened  one  into  an- 
other. Poling  was  our  only  mode  of  progress.  That  night 
Manuel  and  I  occupied  the  shelter.  When  we  rose,  we 
found  the  great  lagoon,  through  which  we  were  then  passing, 
quite  different  in  its  character  from  those  preceding  it. 
Thickets  of  mangroves  bordered  the  shore;  the  display 
of  aerial  roots  was  interesting,  and  here  we  were  able  to 
examine  the  curious  smooth  tips  of  the  roots  which  are  to 
penetrate  the  soft  mud  bottom.  We  landed  at  one  place 
to  get  wood  and  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  sea,  whose  roar- 
ing we  had  for  hours  heard.  We  left  our  boat  in  the  lagoon, 
and  walked  a  short  distance  over  sand  dunes,  thickly  grown 
with  trees,  to  the  beach,  which  only  appeared  in  sight  when 
we  reached  the  top  of  the  last  dune.  It  was  a  gently  slop- 
ing sandy  stretch,  upon  which  a  fine  surf  was  beating. 
There  were  no  pebbles  save  bits  of  water-worn  coral  and 
shell.  Quantities  of  sea-gulls  were  flying  about  and  flocks 
of  little  snipe  ran  down  over  the  retreating  surf,  catching 


Our  Canoe  for  Sixty  Hours;  The  Lagoons 


Mangrove  Roots 


IN  THE  HUAXTECA  291 


food,  turning  and  running  rapidly  in  before  the  coming 
wave.  A  single  shot  into  the  flock  killed  thirty-one  of  the 
little  creatures,  which  later  in  the  day  supplied  us  an  excel- 
lent meal.  From  this  lagoon  of  mangroves,  we  finally 
entered  the  great  lagoon  of  La  Riviera,  which  pretty  town 
we  passed  a  little  before  three  o'clock.  From  here  we 
knew  that,  by  hiring  horses,  we  could  reach  Tampico  in 
two  hours;  had  we  really  known  what  lay  before  us,  we 
would  have  done  so.  Having  passed  La  Riviera,  we  entered 
a  narrow  canal,  bordered  for  the  most  part  with  tall,  flat 
rushes  and  a  great  grass  much  like  our  wild  rice.  Here 
again  we  saw  large  herons  and  great  kingfishers;  the  boys 
had  repeatedly  tried  to  shoot  one  of  the  latter  birds,  but 
with  no  success;  finally,  one  was  seen  standing  on  the 
branch  of  a  tree  hanging  over  the  stream;  this  one  was 
shot,  and  when  we  picked  it  up,  we  found  it  to  be  curi- 
ously distorted,  the  breast  being  strangely  swollen.  When 
skinned,  this  swelling  proved  to  be  due  to  a  fish  which 
the  bird  had  eaten,  and  which  was  almost  as  large  as  itself. 
Weighted  with  this  heavy  burden,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
bird  had  been  shot  so  easily.  At  dusk  we  found  ourselves 
at  a  landing-place,  where  we  left  the  boxes,  which  turned 
out  to  be  eight  in  number,  each  of  which  weighed  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  pounds.  They  contained  chapapote. 
Our  men  had  talked  much  of  the  canal,  to  which,  for 
some  time,  we  had  been  looking  forward.  At  this  landing, 
arrangements  were  made  for  helping  us  through  the  canal, 
a  little  canoe  being  despatched  after  us,  to  help  unload  us. 
When  we  reached  the  canal,  narrow,  shallow  and  straight, 
cut  for  the  most  part  through  the  solid  rock,  the  moon  was 
shining  brightly.  Our  great  canoe  was  soon  aground,  and 
whole  party,  seven  in  number,  climbed  out  into  the  water 
to  push  and  pull.  We  dislodged  it  soon,  but  shortly  came 
to  a  complete  standstill.    Here  for  the  first  time,  we  real- 


292 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ized  the  cargo  which  we  carried,  which  before  had  been 
carefully  covered  so  that  we  really  were  in  ignorance  of  it. 
Eighty  half-dozen  cakes  of  sugar  were  unloaded  into  the 
little  canoe,  which  paddled  away.  We  waited,  noting  with 
regret  that  the  falling  water,  probably  due  to  tide,  was  fix- 
ing our  canoe  more  and  more  firmly  in  the  mud.  Finally, 
the  little  canoe  came  back,  taking  another  eighty  half-dozen 
cakes  of  sugar  on  board.  Our  canoe  having  been  thus 
lightened,  we  made  another  effort  to  move  it,  and,  after 
many  struggles  and  groans,  finally  found  ourselves  in  deeper 
water,  embarked,  and  poled  off.  Having  reached  the  place 
upon  the  bank  where  the  canoe  loads  had  been  left,  we 
stopped  to  freight  again.  To  our  surprise,  we  found  here 
once  more  the  eight  boxes  of  chapapote,  which,  apparently, 
had  been  carted  across.  We  were  now  able  to  calculate 
the  load  which  our  "empty"  canoe,  hired  at  thirty  pesos, 
in  order  to  take  us  quickly  through  to  Tampico,  was 
carrying: 

120  dozen  cakes  of  panela,  of  2  lbs  2,880  lbs. 

8  boxes  chapapote,  of  125  lbs  1,000  lbs. 

6  sacks  of  beans,  of  100  lbs   600  lbs. 

Total  4,480  lbs. 

In  other  words,  we  had  been  crowded  and  delayed  by 
more  than  two  tons  of  cargo.  Perhaps,  had  we  been 
actually  alone  in  the  boat,  it  might  have  made  its  journey 
in  the  twenty-four  hours  promised,  instead  of  the  sixty  of 
accomplishment.  It  was  nine  o'clock  when  we  were  again 
aboard,  and  we  made  the  boatman  travel  all  night  long. 
At  the  stroke  of  half-past-three  we  heard  the  bells  of  Tam- 
pico, and  drew  up  along  the  waterside-landing  of  that  city. 
For  two  full  hours  we  lay  there,  listening  to  the  buyers 
bartering  with  the  boatmen  for  their  load  of  maize,  jrijol 
and  panela  untill  daylight,  when  we  gave  orders  to  unload. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


IN  MAYA  LAND 
(1901) 

\\  7E  had  planned  to  go  from  Tampico  to  Chiapas,  and 
*  *  from  there  to  Yucatan,  where  we  were  to  finish  our 
work  for  the  season.  We  found,  however,  that  there  was 
no  certainty  in  regard  to  a  boat  for  Coatzacoalcos,  while 
the  Benito  Juarez  was  about  to  sail  for  Progreso  the  next 
day.  Not  to  lose  time,  we  decided  to  do  our  Yucatan  work 
first,  and  to  let  Chiapas  wait  until  later.  We  were  busy  that 
day  making  arrangements  for  departure,  and  in  the  afternoon 
hired  a  canoe  to  take  our  stuff  from  the  wharf  to  the  boat, 
which  was  standing  out  in  the  river,  beyond  Dona  Cecilia. 
There  was  a  brisk  wind  against  us,  and  we  almost  arrived 
too  late  to  have  our  luggage  taken  aboard.  The  next 
morning,  we  took  the  first  train  to  Dona  Cecilia,  and  were 
on  board  the  boat  at  nine  o'clock.  We  had  been  told  that 
the  sailing  would  take  place  at  ten,  but,  on  arrival,  found 
that  they  were  waiting  for  cattle  which  were  being  brought 
across  country.  One  hundred  and  twenty  head  were  to 
make  our  chief  cargo,  and  they  were  expected  at  six  a.  m. 
Nothing,  however,  was  to  be  seen  of  them  in  any  direction. 
We  had  taken  breakfast,  and  it  was  almost  twelve  o'clock 
before  the  first  signs  of  the  animals  were  to  be  seen.  Mean- 
time, at  eleven,  a  norther  appeared,  and  we  were  informed 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  leave  short  of  twenty-four 
hours.  Besides  our  company,  there  were  three  first-class 
passengers  —  a  sort  of  German- Austrian  baron  and  his 
lady,  and  a  contractor,  who  was  taking  a  force  of  hands  to 

293 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Yucatan  for  farm  labor.  Eighty-three  of  these  hands  were 
our  third-class  passengers;  they  had  been  picked  up  all 
along  the  line  of  the  Tampico  Branch  of  the  Central  Rail- 
way, and  few  of  them  realized  the  hardships  and  trials 
which  lay  before  them.  We  were  assured  that  more  than 
half  of  them  would  surely  die  before  the  end  of  their  first 
year  in  Yucatan.  As  we  could  not  leave  until  the  norther 
passed,  it  was  decided  not  to  take  the  cattle  on  board  until 
next  day.  Thus  we  spent  a  day  as  prisoners  on  the  boat, 
standing  in  the  river.  In  the  morning  the  water  was  still 
rough  and  the  wind  heavy,  but  at  9:30  the  loading  of  the 
animals  began.  They  were  brought  out  on  a  barge,  about 
one-half  of  the  whole  number  to  a  load;  tackle  was  rigged 
and  the  creatures  were  lifted  by  ropes  looped  around  their 
horns.  The  first  few  were  lifted  singly,  but  after  that,  two 
at  once.  While  it  sounds  brutal,  it  is  really  a  most  con- 
venient method,  and  the  animals,  though  startled,  do  not 
seem  to  be  injured  in  the  least,  nor  indulge  in  much  kicking. 
By  1 1  '.40  all  were  loaded  and  we  were  ready  for  our  start. 
We  had  to  wait  until  the  customs-house  inspector  should 
come  on  board  to  discharge  us,  and  this  was  not  done  until 
half-past  one.  We  sailed  out,  between  the  jetties,  at  two 
o'clock,  and  found  the  Gulf  rough,  and  a  high  wind,  which 
continued  through  most  of  our  voyage.  The  smell  from 
the  cattle  was  disagreeable,  and  between  it  and  the  rough- 
ness, all  were  seasick  before  the  first  afternoon  was  over. 

Captain  Irvine  is  the  youngest  captain  of  the  Ward 
Line,  being  but  twenty-six  years  of  age.  He  has  followed 
the  sea  since  he  was  thirteen  years  old.  A  Nova  Scotian 
by  birth,  he  has  sailed  this  coast  for  some  little  time,  and  is 
a  competent  official,  doing  his  utmost  for  the  pleasure  and 
convenience  of  his  passengers.  The  journey  was  uneventful. 
There  was  some  excitement  among  the  third-class  passengers, 
many  of  whom  were  drunk  and  quarrelsome.    The  first 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


29s 


evening,  two  of  them  were  fighting,  with  the  result  that  the 
head  of  one  was  split  open  and  had  to  be  dressed  by  the 
captain.  When  we  had  been  some  forty-eight  or  fifty 
hours  at  sea,  we  found  ourselves  off  the  Campeche  banks, 
in  quieter  water.  Those  who  had  suffered  from  sickness 
were  again  quite  themselves.  It  was  4:30  Sunday  morning, 
February  3,  after  we  had  been  almost  three  days  and  three 
nights  at  sea,  and  four  days  on  the  boat,  that  the  Progreso 
light  was  sighted,  and  not  long  after  we  came  to  anchor. 
We  waited  from  six  o'clock  until  almost  ten  for  lighters  and 
the  doctor.  After  he  had  made  his  inspection,  we  piled 
off  with  all  our  baggage  onto  a  little  steamer,  which  charged 
three  dollars,  each  passenger,  for  taking  us  to  the  pier, 
which  was  close  by,  and  to  which  our  own  boat  could  easily 
have  run.  This,  however,  was  but  the  beginning  of  Yuca- 
tecan  troubles.  When  we  found  ourselves  on  the  wharf, 
the  customs  officials  insisted  upon  our  going  to  the  general 
office  for  inspection,  on  account  of  the  character  and  amount 
of  our  luggage.  Arrived  there,  we  found  that  we  had  no 
clearing  papers  for  our  stuff,  and  forty  dollars  duty  was 
required  for  material  which  had  already  paid  duty  in  enter- 
ing Mexico,  and  which  had  only  gone  from  one  Mexican  port 
to  another,  as  baggage.  In  vain  we  argued  and  attempted 
to  explain  matters.  The  officials  advised  us  to  bring  the 
American  consul  and  have  him  straighten  matters;  but  his 
office  was  shut,  as  it  was  Sunday.  Meantime,  we  saw  the 
train,  which  we  had  expected  to  take  at  11:30,  leave  for 
Merida,  and  at  twelve  o'clock  the  customs-house  offices  were 
closed,  and  we  were  forced  to  leave  the  business  for  another 
day.  Fortunately,  there  are  two  railroads  from  Progreso 
to  Merida,  and  we  were  able  to  take  an  afternoon  train  over 
the  narrow-gauge  line  for  the  capital  city.  The  station  was 
an  enormous,  wooden,  barn-like  structure;  the  cars  were 
weather-beaten  and  dilapidated  to  a  degree  —  except  the 


296 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


first-class  car,  which  was  in  fair  condition.  Passengers 
were  gathering,  but  no  particular  signs  of  the  starting  of  a 
train  were  evident.  Boys  at  the  station  were  selling  slabs 
of  pudding,  squares  of  sponge  cake  soaked  with  red  liquor, 
pieces  of  papaya,  cups  of  sweetened  boiled  rice,  and  oranges. 
The  oranges  were  unexpectedly  high  in  price,  two  selling 
for  a  medio ;  the  seller  pares  off  the  yellow  skins  and  cuts 
them  squarely  in  two  before  selling;  the  buyer  eats  merely 
the  pulp,  throwing  the  white  skin  away.  As  train-time 
neared,  interesting  incidents  occurred.  The  ticket-agent 
was  drunk  and  picked  a  quarrel  with  a  decent,  harmless- 
looking  indian;  the  conductor  dressed  in  the  waiting-room, 
putting  on  a  clean  shirt  and  taking  off  his  old  one,  at  the 
same  time  talking  to  us  about  our  baggage-checks.  A 
fine  horse,  frisky  and  active,  was  loaded  into  the  same 
baggage-freight  car  with  our  goods.  The  bells  were  rung  as 
signals,  and  the  station  locked ;  the  whole  management  — 
ticket-agent,  conductor  and  baggagemen  —  then  got  upon 
the  train  and  we  were  off.  At  one  of  the  stations  the  ticket- 
agent  took  his  horse  out  from  the  car,  and  riding  off  into 
the  country,  we  saw  no  more  of  him. 

The  country  through  which  we  were  running  was  just 
as  I  had  imagined  it.  Though  it  was  supposed  to  be  the 
cold  season,  the  day  was  frightfully  hot,  and  everyone  was 
suffering.  The  country  was  level  and  covered  with  a 
growth  of  scrub.  There  was,  however,  more  color  in  the 
gray  landscape  than  I  had  expected.  Besides  the  grays  of 
many  shades  —  dusty  trees,  foliage,  bark  and  branches  — 
there  were  greens  and  yellows,  both  of  foliage  and  flowers, 
and  here  and  there,  a  little  red.  But  everywhere  there  was 
the  flat  land,  the  gray  limestone,  the  low  scrub,  the  dust 
and  dryness,  and  the  blazing  sun.  There  were  many 
palm  trees  —  chiefly  cocoanut  —  on  the  country-places,  and 
there  were  fields  of  hennequin,  though  neither  so  extensive 


Mayas,  Returning  from  Work;  Santa  Maria 


IN   MAYA  LAND 


nor  well-kept  as  I  had  anticipated.  It  resembles  the 
maguey,  though  the  leaves  are  not  so  broad,  nor  do  they 
grow  from  the  ground;  the  hennequin  leaves  are  long, 
narrow,  sharp-pointed,  and  rather  thickly  set  upon  a  woody 
stalk  that  grows  upright  to  a  height  of  several  feet.  The 
leaves  are  trimmed  off,  from  season  to  season,  leaving  the 
bare  stalk,  showing  the  leaf-scar.  The  upper  leaves  con- 
tinue to  grow.  In  places  we  noticed  a  curious  mode 
of  protecting  trees  by  rings  of  limestone  rock  built  around 
them;  many  of  these  trees  appear  to  grow  from  an  elevated, 
circular  earth  mass.  At  Conkal,  the  great  stone  church  mag- 
nificently represented  the  olden  time,  but  it  bore  two  light- 
ning rods  and  was  accompanied  by  two  wind-mills  of  Ameri- 
can manufacture.  Everywhere,  in  fact,  the  American 
wind-mill  is  in  evidence.  One  can  but  wish  that  the  poor 
users  of  the  old  cenotes  might  come  to  life,  and,  for  a  little 
time,  enjoy  the  work  of  the  winds  in  their  behalf.  Every- 
where we  saw  plenty  of  Maya  indians  and  heard  something 
of  the  old  language.  All  travellers  to  Yucatan  comment  on 
the  universal  cleanness  of  the  population;  notable  in  the 
indians,  this  marks  equally  well  the  mestizos,  whites  and 
negroes.  They  are  not  only  clean,  but  all  are  well  dressed. 
Men  wear  low,  round-crowned,  broad-brimmed  palm 
hats;  trousers  are  rarely  of  the  tight-fitting  Mexican  kind; 
indians  who  work  at  heavy  labor  protect  their  clean  white 
shirts  and  drawers  with  a  strip  of  stuff,  like  ticking,  wrapped 
about  them.  Women  wear  two  white  garments,  both  ample, 
hanging  from  the  neck,  bordered  with  black  or  colored  bands. 
They  generally  wear  long  necklaces  or  rosaries,  the  beads  of 
which  are  spaced  with  gold  coins,  and  a  cross  of  gold  or 
a  medal  of  the  same  material  hangs  at  the  bottom.  Women 
of  middle  age  are  usually  stout,  and  march  with  quite  a 
stately  tread. 

Merida  itself  is  much  larger  and  better  built  than  we 


298 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


had  expected.  Many  of  the  houses,  especially  on  the  out- 
skirts, are  elliptical  in  section,  and  have  walls  of  small 
stones  closely  set  in  mud  plaster.  In  the  center  of  the  town 
the  houses  are  covered  with  painted  plaster  and  are  in  the 
usual  Latin-American  style.  Great  numbers  of  quaint 
little  coaches,  with  a  single  horse,  were  waiting  at  the  station. 
As  we  walked  up  to  the  center  of  the  town,  we  found  but 
few  places  open,  practically  nothing  but  barber-shops 
and  drug-stores.  Of  both  of  these,  however,  there  were 
a  surprising  number. 

Having  been  directed  to  the  Hotel  Concordia,  we  were 
disappointed  when  the  old  lady  in  charge  stated  that  she 
had  no  rooms,  and  directed  us  across  the  way  to  the  Hotel 
de  Mexico.  As  we  had  arranged  for  the  delivery  of  our 
stuff,  we  did  not  care  to  look  elsewhere,  and  therefore 
inspected  the  rooms  in  this  hotel.  To  reach  them,  we  went 
through  a  barber-shop  into  a  narrow  patio,  and,  mount- 
ing some  rickety  stairs,  found  our  quarters,  which  were 
filthy,  vile-smelling,  hot  and  uncared  for.  Yet  for  these 
choice  quarters,  with  two  beds  in  each  of  two  rooms,  leaving 
no  space  practically  between,  we  were  expected  to  pay 
four  dollars.  Upon  remonstrating  with  the  proprietor  at 
the  price  demanded,  he  cooly  said,  "  Oh,  yes,  everything  here 
costs  high;  but  there  is  money  to  pay  it  with."  This 
really  stated  the  fact.  Conditions  in  Merida  are  the  most 
abnormal  of  any  place  which  I  have  visited.  Owing  to  the 
war  in  the  Philippines,  and  interference  with  the  trade  in 
hemp,  the  fiber  of  the  hennequin  is  in  great  demand,  and 
money  is  plentiful.  At  good  restaurants  each  plate  costs 
thirty  cents,  instead  of  ten  or  twelve,  as  in  the  City  of  Mexico 
itself.  No  coach  will  cross  the  street  for  less  than  fifty 
cents;  for  a  cooling  drink,  such  as  in  the  capital  city  would 
cost  three  cents,  one  here  pays  twelve.  *  The  shortest  street- 
car line  charges  ten  cents;  and  everything  else  is  in  propor- 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


tion.  What  the  hotel-keeper  said,  about  there  being  money 
to  pay  these  frightful  prices,  was  equally  true.  We  paid 
cargadors  four  times,  draymen  three  times,  more  than  we 
have  ever  done  in  any  other  part  of  Mexico.  In  the  restau- 
rants we  saw  cargadors  calling  for  plates  at  thirty  cents, 
boot-blacks  eating  ices  at  one  real,  newsboys  riding  in 
coaches,  and  other  astonishing  sights.  In  the  plaza,  good 
music  is  played  on  Sunday  nights,  and  every  one  is  out  in  all 
his  finery;  fruits,  sweetmeats,  refreshing  drinks,  are  hawked 
everywhere,  and  are  much  indulged  in ;  under  the  corridors 
are  little  tables,  where  ices,  iced  milk  and  drinks  are  served. 
At  the  hotel  we  passed  a  night  of  horror,  suffering  from  the 
heat,  dust,  ill-placed  lights,  mosquitoes  and  other  insects. 
Leaving  my  companions  I  went  the  following  morning  to 
Progreso  to  attend  to  the  unlucky  baggage.  For  variety, 
I  took  the  broad-gauge  road,  but  found  little  difference  in 
the  country  through  which  we  passed.  The  number  of  wind- 
mills was  astonishing,  and  most  of  them  were  Chicago 
aeromotors.  At  one  station  a  great  crowd  of  pure  indians 
got  off  and  on  the  train.  The  American  consul  at  Progreso 
is  too  much  interested  in  archaeology  to  be  found  at  his 
office,  but  his  Mexican  vice-consul  was  present.  To  him 
our  difficulty  was  explained,  and  on  his  advice  we  deposited 
the  forty  dollars  demanded  for  duty,  and  signed  various 
documents  of  remonstrance,  upon  which  we  paid  almost 
four  dollars  more  for  stamps.  We  were  then  permitted  to 
take  out  enough  plates  for  immediate  use,  leaving  the 
balance  in  Progreso  until  we  should  be  ready  for  our  return 
journey. 

Acting  on  the  advice  of  the  vice-consul,  we  changed 
quarters  in  Merida  from  the  Hotel  de  Mexico,  to  the  Moro- 
muzo,  kept  by  an  American  who  had  been  many  years 
in  the  country,  and  where,  though  we  paid  even  more  for 
rooms,  we  had  some  comfort.    By  industrious  search,  we 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


found  a  Chinese  restaurant,  where  prices  were  not  high 
and  service  quite  as  good  as  in  the  aristocratic  place  where 
we  had  dined  before.  The  day  before  we  called  at  the  palace, 
hoping  to  see  the  governor,  though  it  was  Sunday.  He 
was  out  of  town,  and  we  were  asked  to  call  the  following 
day.  Accordingly,  in  the  afternoon,  after  returning  from 
Progreso,  I  repeated  my  call  but  was  told  that  the  governor 
had  gone  out  of  town  again  and  that  I  should  come  the  fol- 
lowing day.  The  third  day,  again  presenting  myself  at 
the  office,  I  learned  that  it  was  a  holiday  and  that  the  gov- 
ernor would  not  be  at  the  palace;  the  secretary  recom- 
mended that  I  try  to  see  him  at  his  house.  To  his  house 
I  went,  and  sending  in  my  card  and  my  letters  from  the 
Federal  authorities  was  surprised,  after  having  been  kept 
waiting  in  the  corridor,  to  be  informed  that  the  governor 
would  not  see  me,  and  that  I  should  call  at  the  palace,  the 
next  day,  in  the  afternoon,  at  two  o'clock.  Sending  back  a 
polite  message  that  we  had  waited  three  whole  days  to  see 
his  excellency,  and  that  our  time  was  limited,  my  surprise 
was  still  greater  at  receiving  the  tart  reply  that  he  had 
stated  when  he  would  see  me.  We  spent  the  balance  of 
day  and  all  the  morning  of  the  next,  looking  about  the  town. 

Having  failed  in  my  visit  to  Governor  Canton,  I  took 
a  street-car  to  Itzimna  to  see  the  bishop,  to  ask  him  for  a 
letter  to  his  clergy.  The  well-known  Bisdop  Ancona  had 
lately  died,  and  the  new  incumbent  was  a  young  man  from 
the  interior  of  Mexico,  who  had  been  here  but  a  few  months. 
He  had  been  ill  through  the  whole  period  of  his  residence, 
and  seemed  frail  and  weak.  He  received  me  in  the  kindest 
way,  and  after  reading  the  letters  I  presented,  asked  whether 
I  had  not  been  in  Puebla  at  a  certain  time  two  years  before ; 
on  my  replying  in  the  affirmative,  he  remarked  that  he  had 
met  me  at  the  palace  of  the  bishop  of  Puebla  and  had  then 
learned  of  my  work  and  studies.    He  gave  me  an  excellent 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


301 


letter  to  his  clergy,  and  as  I  left,  with  much  feeling,  he  urged 
me  to  be  careful  of  my  health  and  that  of  my  companions 
while  we  were  in  the  country.  When  he  came  from  Puebla, 
only  a  few  months  before,  he  brought  three  companions 
with  him,  all  of  whom  had  died  of  yellow  fever.  He  told 
me  that,  though  this  was  not  the  season  for  that  dread  dis- 
ease, cases  of  it  had  already  broken  out  in  the  city;  at  the 
same  time  he  stated  that  more  than  eight  hundred  cases  of 
small-pox  were  reported  in  Merida,  and  that  many  of  them 
were  of  the  most  virulent.  Sunday  we  had  walked  through 
dust  ankle-deep  upon  the  roads;  Tuesday  and  Wednesday 
it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  could  cross  the  streets,  which 
were  rilled  with  mud,  and,  part  of  the  time,  with  muddy 
water  a  foot  and  more  in  depth.  This  is  a  frequent  occur- 
rence, and  foot-passengers  who  desire  to  cross  the  street 
are  often  forced  to  hire  a  coach  for  that  purpose.  As  one 
wralks  the  street,  he  runs  constant  risk  of  being  splashed 
with  mud  and  water  from  passing  vehicles  and  street-cars. 
During  the  four  days  we  spent  in  Merida  we  met  several 
persons  interested  in  literary  lines,  and  visited  a  number 
of  institutions,  among  which  the  most  interesting  was  the 
Museo  Yucateco,  of  which  Senor  Gamboa  Guzman  is  in 
charge.  It  is  by  no  means  what  it  should  be,  or  what,  with 
but  small  outlay,  it  might  be.  But  it  contains  interesting 
things  in  archaeology,  in  local  history,  and  in  zoology.  It 
is  of  special  interest  to  Americans  because  Le  Plongeon 
was  interested  in  its  foundation  and  early  development. 

An  old  gentleman,  clerk  in  the  diocesan  offices,  advised 
us  to  visit  Tekax  and  Peto  for  our  study.  The  governor 
had  set  the  hour  of  two  for  our  reception.  Merely  to  see 
when  he  would  come,  we  seated  ourselves  in  the  garden  of 
the  plaza,  so  that  we  could  watch  the  entrance  to  the  palace. 
Two  came,  but  no  governor.  At  2:30  several  gentlemen 
were  waiting  near  the  office  door.    At  three  no  governor 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


had  arrived.  At  five  minutes  past  three,  we  noticed  that 
hum  of  excitement  and  expectation  which  usually  heralds 
some  great  event,  and  looking  down  the  street,  saw  the 
governor  pompously  approaching.  As  he  passed,  hats  were 
removed  and  profound  salutations  given.  Waiting  until 
he  had  entered  the  office,  we  walked  up  to  the  reception 
room,  where  we  found  ten  or  twelve  gentlemen  waiting 
audience.  The  great  man  himself  had  disappeared  into 
an  office  which  opened  onto  this  reception-room,  but  the 
door  of  which  was  not  closed.  All  waited  patiently;  from 
time  to  time  the  usher-secretary  crept  noiselessly  to  the 
office  door  and  peeked  through  the  key-hole  to  see  whether 
the  executive  was  ready.  Finally,  at  3:35  the  word  was 
given,  and  the  privilege  of  the  first  audience  was  granted 
to  myself.  During  these  days  of  waiting  —  something 
which  has  never  occurred  with  any  of  the  many  governors 
of  states  in  Mexico  upon  whom  I  have  called  —  I  had 
expressed  my  surprise  to  a  gentleman  of  wealth  and  prom- 
inence in  the  city,  at  the  governor's  compelling  me  to  wait 
for  audience.  With  some  feeling,  this  gentleman  replied, 
"But,  sir,  you  are  fortunate;  you  are  a  stranger,  and  bring 
letters  from  cabinet  officials;  many  of  the  best  gentlemen 
in  this  city  have  been  kept  waiting  months  in  order  to  see 
Governor  Canton  in  regard  to  business  of  the  highest  con- 
sequence to  themselves  and  to  the  public."  I  will  do  the 
governor  justice  by  saying  that  he  listened  with  apparent 
interest  to  my  statement,  and  that  he  gave  orders  that  the 
letters  which  I  wished,  to  local  authorities,  should  be  pre- 
pared without  delay.  Thanking  him,  I  withdrew,  and  by 
five  o'clock  the  secretary  handed  me  the  desired  documents; 
we  had  lost  four  days.  Early  the  following  morning,  as 
no  cargadors  were  at  hand,  our  little  company  resolved 
itself  into  a  band  of  carriers  and  we  took  our  baggage  and 
equipment  to  the  Peto  station.    The  securing  of  tickets 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


303 


and  the  checking  of  baggage  was  quite  an  undertaking, 
and  if  the  train  had  started  at  the  time  announced,  we  should 
have  missed  it;  however,  we  were  in  good  season,  and  left 
something  less  than  an  hour  late.  The  country  through 
which  we  passed  was  an  improvement  upon  what  we  had 
seen  before.  The  trees  were  greener,  and  many  flowers 
were  in  bloom.  From  the  train,  we  saw  a  group  of  pyra- 
mids at  one  point,  and  an  isolated  pyramid  at  another. 
Some  of  the  indian  towns  through  which  we  passed,  with 
curious  Maya  names,  were  interesting.  So,  too,  were  the 
vendors  at  the  station.  Hot  tamales,  " pura  rnasa"  (pure 
dough),  as  Manuel  said,  slippery  and  soapy  in  feeling  and 
consistency,  done  up  in  banana  leaves  and  carefully  tied, 
seemed  to  be  the  favorite  goods;  far  better  were  split  tor- 
tillas with  beans  inside  and  cheese  outside;  beautiful  red 
bananas  and  plump  smooth  yellow  ones  were  offered  in 
quantity.  We  lost  an  hour  at  the  station  where  trains  met, 
reaching  Tekax  at  eleven.  We  walked  up  to  the  hot  plaza, 
where  we  found  the  town  offices  closed,  and  had  difficulty 
in  even  leaving  our  stuff  with  the  police.  At  a  restaurant 
we  had  a  fair  breakfast,  for  which  we  paid  a  peso  each 
person.  As  there  were  no  signs  of  the  town  officials,  we 
dropped  into  the  curato  to  see  the  priest,  to  whom  we  pre- 
sented the  bishop's  letter.  He  was  a  Spaniard,  who  had 
been  in  this  country  only  a  few  months,  and  despises  it 
heartily.  He  was  sitting  at  table  with  two  young  men, 
who  had  accompanied  him  from  Spain,  and  who  love  Yuca- 
tan no  better  than  he.  He  greeted  us  most  heartily,  and 
was  interested  in  our  plan  of  work.  He  sent  at  once  for 
the  judge  of  the  registro  civil,  who  could  tell  us  many 
curious  things  about  the  indians,  and,  as  soon  as  the  old 
man  came,  the  good  priest  ordered  chocolate  to  be  served. 
We  chatted  for  some  time,  when,  seeing  that  the  jefe's 
office  was  open,  I  suggested  that  I  had  better  go  to  present 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


my  letters.  The  cur  a  and  the  judge  at  once  began  to  abuse 
that  official  roundly  for  his  sins  of  commission,  and  par- 
ticularly for  those  of  omission,  and  told  me  that  I  should 
have  him  summoned;  that  it  was  much  better  than  to 
trouble  myself  by  going  to  his  office,  where  I  had  already 
been  twice  in  vain;  it  was  but  right  that  he  should  attend 
to  business;  he  ought  to  be  in  his  office  when  visitors  came 
to  see  him.  Accordingly  a  messenger  was  sent  and  the 
jefe  summoned. 

He  seemed  a  rather  nice  young  fellow,  and  was  much 
impressed  by  the  letter  from  his  governor;  he  expressed 
himself  as  ready  and  anxious  to  serve  us  in  every  way,  and 
made  arrangements  for  us  to  begin  work  in  the  town-house, 
where,  before  dark,  we  had  taken  fifteen  sets  of  measure- 
ments. This  was  a  capital  beginning,  but  the  next  two 
days  our  work  fell  flat.  It  was  necessary  to  keep  constantly 
at  the  jefe,  and  it  soon  became  plain  that  he  was  making  no 
great  effort  to  secure  subjects  for  us,  on  the  assumption 
that  we  had  better  wait  until  Sunday,  when  there  would  be 
plenty  of  people  without  trouble  to  the  police. 

It  was  useless  to  urge  effort,  and  we  spent  the  time 
talking  with  the  old  judge  in  regard  to  the  habits  and 
superstitions  of  the  indians  and  in  walking  with  the  judge 
of  primera  instancia  up  to  the  ridge  which  overlooked  the 
town,  and  which  was  crowned  by  a  little  hermita.  The 
population  of  Yucatan  is  still,  for  the  most  part,  pure  In- 
dian of  Maya  blood  and  speech.  The  former  importance 
of  this  people  is  well  known;  they  had  made  the  greatest 
progress  of  any  North  American  population,  and  the  ruins 
of  their  old  towns  have  often  been  described.  They  built 
temples  and  public  buildings  of  stone  and  with  elaborate 
carved  decorations;  they  ornamented  walls  with  stucco, 
often  worked  into  remarkable  figures;  they  cast  copper 
and  gold;  they  hived  bees,  and  used  both  wax  and  honey 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


305 


in  religious  ceremonial.  They  spun  and  wove  cotton, 
which  they  dyed  with  brilliant  colors;  they  had  a  system 
of  writing  which,  while  largely  pictorial,  contained  some 
phonetic  elements.  They  are  still  a  vital  people,  more  than 
holding  their  own  in  the  present  population,  and  forcing 
their  native  language  upon  the  white  invaders.  Nominally 
good  Catholics,  a  great  deal  of  old  superstition  still  sur- 
vives, and  they  have  many  interesting  practices  and  beliefs. 
The  cura  presented  me  a  ke'esh  of  gold,  which  he  took 
from  the  church,  where  it  had  been  left  by  a  worshipper. 
It  is  a  little  votive  figure  crudely  made,  commonly  of  silver; 
the  word  means  " exchange,' '  and  such  figures  are  given 
by  the  indians  to  their  saint  or  to  the  Virgin  in  exchange 
for  themselves,  after  some  sickness  or  danger. 

The  ridge  overlooking  the  town  is  of  limestone,  and  is 
covered  with  a  handsome  growth  of  trees  and  grass.  The 
terrace  on  which  the  hermita  is  built  is  flat  and  cleared; 
it  is  reached  by  a  gently  graded  ascent,  with  a  flight  of  wide 
and  easy  steps,  now  much  neglected.  The  little  building 
is  dismantled,  though  there  is  some  talk  of  reconstructing 
it.  Behind  it  is  a  well  of  vile  and  stagnant  water,  which  is 
reputed  to  cure  disease.  From  the  ridge  a  pretty  view  of 
Tekax  is  to  be  had,  bedded  in  a  green  sheet  of  trees.  The 
town  is  regularly  laid  out,  and  presents  little  of  interest, 
though  the  two-storied  portales  and  the  odd  three-storied 
house  of  Senor  Duarte  attract  attention.  There  are  also 
many  high,  square,  ventilated  shafts,  or  towers,  of  distil- 
leries. From  the  terrace  where  we  stood,  in  the  days  of 
the  last  great  insurrection,  the  indians  swept  down  upon 
the  town  and  are  said  to  have  killed  2,500  of  the  people, 
including  men,  women  and  children. 

The  school-teacher  of  the  town  is  a  man  of  varied 
attainments,  being  also  a  photographer,  watch-maker, 
medical-adviser,  chemist,  and  so  forth.    His  house  is  full 


306 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


of  scientific  instruments  —  a  really  good  camera,  a  fine 
aneroid  barometer,  several  thermometers,  including  self- 
registering  maximum  and  minimum,  etc.,  etc.  All  seem 
excellent  in  quality,  but  I  could  not  learn  that  he  makes 
any  use  of  them,  except  the  camera.  The  cura  and  the 
judge  deride  his  possession  of  the  instruments,  doubting 
whether  he  knows  how  to  use  them.  They  assert  that  he 
has  an  apparatus  for  projection,  for  which  he  paid  iooo 
pesos,  which  has  never  yet  been  unpacked.  When  we 
called  on  him  he  showed  us,  by  his  hygrometer,  that  the  air 
was  very  humid,  though  the  temperature  was  at  86°  Fahr., 
and  told  us,  what  probably  is  true,  that  in  this  heavy,  hot 
weather,  every  wound  and  bruise,  however  trifling,  is  likely 
to  become  serious.  In  illustration  of  this  fact,  the  cura 
mentioned  that  his  Spanish  carpenter,  who  merely  bruised 
his  leg  against  the  table,  has  suffered  frightfully  for  three 
months,  having  now  an  ugly  sore  several  inches  across,  that 
makes  walking  difficult.  Great  care  is  necessary  with  any 
injury  that  breaks  or  bruises  the  skin.  We  ourselves  had 
already  experienced  the  fact  that  insect-bites  became  ugly 
open  sores  that  showed  no  signs  of  healing;  as  a  fact,  none  of 
us  succeeded  in  curing  such  for  several  weeks  after  leaving 
Yucatan.  In  the  afternoon,  the  priest,  the  judge  of  primera 
instancia  and  myself  took  a  coach  to  ride  out  to  a  neigh- 
boring hacienda,  where  there  was  a  great  sugar-mill,  Louis 
accompanying  us  on  horseback.  Our  road  ran  alongside 
the  ridge  and  consisted  of  red  limestone-clay.  It  was  fairly 
good,  though  dry  and  dusty,  and  closely  bordered  with  the 
usual  Yucatecan  scrub.  The  ridge,  along  which  we  were 
coursing,  is  the  single  elevation  in  the  peninsula;  beginning 
in  northeastern  Yucatan,  it  runs  diagonally  toward  the 
southwest,  ending  near  Campeche.  It  is  generally  covered 
with  a  dense  growth  of  forest,  unless  artificial  clearings  have 
been  made.    Covies  of  birds,  like  quail,  were  seen  here  and 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


307 


there,  along  the  road,  and  at  one  point  a  handsome  green 
snake,  a  yard  or  more  in  length,  glided  across  the  way.  Snakes 
are  said  to  be  common,  and  among  them  several  are  venom- 
ous—  the  rattlesnake,  the  coral-snake,  and  most  dreaded 
of  all,  a  little  dark  serpent  a  foot  or  so  in  length,  with  an 
enormous  head,  whose  bite  is  said  to  be  immediately  fatal. 
There  are  also  many  tree-snakes,  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm. 
In  the  forest,  mountain-lions  are  rare,  but  "tigers"  are 
common.  We  found  Santa  Maria  to  be  an  extensive 
hacienda,  and  the  sugar-mill  was  a  large  structure,  well 
supplied  with  modern  machinery,  and  turning  out  a  large 
amount  of  product.  We  saw  a  few  of  the  indian  hands, 
went  through  the  factory,  and  were  shown  through  the 
owner's  house,  which  has  beautiful  running  water  and  baths, 
though  there  is  little  furniture,  and  nothing  of  what  we 
would  consider  decoration.  It  was  after  dark  before  we 
started  to  town,  and  when  we  got  there  we  found  two  wedding 
parties  waiting  for  the  padre's  services. 

The  promised  crowd  filled  the  market  Sunday,  and  our 
work  went  finely.  Between  the  town  officials  and  the  priest, 
subjects  were  constantly  supplied.  Among  the  indians 
who  presented  themselves  for  measurement  was  old  Manuel, 
sacristan  from  Xaya;  he  is  a  h'nien,  and  we  had  hoped 
that  he  would  show  us  the  method  of  using  the  sastun,  or 
divining  crystal.  He  is  a  full- blood,  and  neither  in  face 
nor  manner  shows  the  least  emotion.  Automatic  in  move- 
ment, he  is  quiet  and  phlegmatic  in  manner;  having  as- 
sumed the  usual  indian  pose  for  rest,  a  squat  position  in 
which  no  part  of  the  body  except  the  feet  rests  upon  the 
ground,  or  any  support,  he  sat  quietly,  with  the  movement  of 
scarcely  a  muscle,  for  hours  at  a  time.  He  sang  for  us 
the  invocation  to  the  winds  of  the  four  quarters,  which  they 
use  in  the  ceremony  of  planting  time.  Though  he  is  fre- 
quently employed  to  say  the  "milpa  mass"  and  to  conjure, 


3o8 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


he  claims  that  he  never  learned  how  to  use  the  sastun,  but 
told  us  that  another  hymen  in  his  village  knew  it  well. 

One  of  the  padre's  companions  has  been  ill  ever  since 
he  came  to  Yucatan;  Sunday  he  suffered  so  greatly  that  a 
doctor  was  sent  for  in  haste.  Nothing  was  told  us  as  to 
what  his  trouble  might  be,  but  personally  I  suspected  that  he 
had  the  small-pox.  In  connection  with  his  illness,  we 
learned  for  the  first  time  that  another  companion  of  the 
priest,  brought  from  Spain,  died  in  the  room  I  was  occupy- 
ing, less  than  two  weeks  before,  from  yellow  fever.  We 
had  known  that  one  of  his  companions  had  died  of  yellow 
fever,  but  supposed  it  was  some  months  earlier.  Toward 
evening  the  priest  was  sent  for  by  a  neighbor,  who  needed  the 
last  service.  On  the  padre's  return,  we  learned  that  this 
person  was  believed  to  be  dying  from  vomito.  For  a  moment 
we  were  in  doubt  what  was  best  to  do,  especially  as  the  police 
had  told  us  that  the  padre  had  permitted  no  fumigation  of 
his  premises  after  his  comrade's  death,  simply  sprinkling 
holy  water  about  the  place.  That  night  the  young  man  in 
the  next  room  suffered  greatly,  and  I  could  not  help  but 
wonder  what  ailed  him.  However,  I  decided  that  what 
danger  there  might  be  from  the  disease  we  had  already 
risked,  and  as  we  expected  to  remain  but  one  or  two  more 
days,  it  seemed  hardly  worth  while  to  make  a  change.  Mon- 
day we  planned  a  visit  to  San  Juan  and  Xaya.  The  horses 
had  been  ordered  for  five  o'clock,  but  mass  had  been  said, 
chocolate  taken,  and  all  was  ready,  long  before  they  appeared. 
Six,  seven,  eight  all  passed,  and  at  last,  at  nine,  only  three 
animals  appeared.  This  decided  us  to  leave  Ramon  behind 
to  pack  the  busts  which  we  had  made,  while  the  others  of 
the  party,  with  the  padre,  mounted  on  his  own  horse,  should 
make  the  journey.  A  foot  mozo  carried  the  camera.  The 
road  was  of  the  usual  kind,  and  was  marked  at  every  quarter 
league  with  a  little  cross  of  wood  set  into  a  pile  of  stones 


The  H'men  with  His  Sastun;  San  Juan 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


309 


and  bearing  the  words,  De  Tekax  L.    As  we  passed  La 

Trinidad  we  noticed  great  tanks  of  water  for  irrigation  before 
the  house,  and  tall  trees  with  their  bare,  gray  roots  running 
over  and  enveloping  the  piles  of  stones  on  which  they  had 
been  planted.  There  were  no  other  plantations  or  villages 
until  just  before  the  ninth  cross  —  two  and  a  quarter  leagues 
—  we  came  to  the  hennequin  plantation  of  San  Juan.  The 
mayor  domo  was  delighted  to  see  the  padre  and  greeted  us 
warmly,  taking  us  at  once  to  the  great  house.  We  rode 
between  long  lines  of  orange  trees,  loaded  with  sweet  and 
juicy  fruits,  and  were  soon  sitting  in  the  cool  and  delightful 
hallway.  It  is  impossible  to  say  how  many  dozens  of  those 
oranges  four  of  us  ate,  but  we  were  urged  to  make  away 
with  all  we  could,  as  the  daily  gathering  is  something  more 
than  five  thousand.  Soon  an  elaborate  breakfast  was 
ready  for  us,  but  before  we  ate  we  took  a  drink  of  fresh  milk 
from  cocoanuts  cut  expressly  for  us.  We  had  salmon,  eggs, 
meat-stew,  beans,  tortillas,  and  wine.  But  the  mayor  domo 
expressed  his  regret  that  he  did  not  know  we  were  coming, 
as  he  would  gladly  have  killed  a  little  pig  for  us.  As  des- 
sert a  great  dish  of  fresh  papaya  cut  up  into  squares  and 
soaking  in  its  own  juice,  was  served.  Sitting  in  the  cool 
corridor,  after  a  good  breakfast,  and  looking  out  over 
a  beautiful  country,  with  promises  that  all  the  subjects 
necessary  for  measurement  should  be  supplied,  the  idea  of 
riding  on  to  Xaya  lost  attractiveness,  and  we  sent  a  foot- 
messenger  with  an  order  to  the  town  authorities  to  send  the 
k'men  with  his  sastuns  without  delay  to  see  us. 

This  was  our  first  opportunity  to  see  the  industry  of 
hennequin,  which  is  the  chief  product  of  this  hacienda.  The 
leaves,  after  cutting,  are  brought  from  the  field  tied  up  in 
bundles.  These  are  opened,  and  the  leaves  are  fed  into  a 
revolving,  endless  double  chain,  which  carries  them  on 
iron  arms  upward  and  dumps  them  onto  a  table,  where 


310  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 

three  men  receive  them  and  feed  them  into  the  stripper. 
This  consists  of  a  round  table,  into  the  inner,  excavated, 
circular  face  of  which  a  round  knife  with  dull  edge  fits  closely, 
though  at  only  one  place  at  once;  the  leaves,  fed  between  the 
table  and  knife,  are  held  firmly  by  them  at  about  one-third 
their  length.  The  projecting  two-thirds  of  the  leaves 
hang  downward;  as  the  table  revolves  the  leaves  thus  held 
are  carried  to  a  vertical  revolving  rasp  which  strips  out  the 
flesh,  leaving  the  fibre  masses  hanging.  These  taken  out 
from  between  the  table  and  the  knife  are  fed  again  to  a 
second  revolving  table  which  holds  the  masses  of  fibre, 
leaving  the  unstripped  portion  of  the  leaves  exposed  to  a 
second  rasp,  which  strips  it.  The  hanks  of  fibre  are  dropped 
from  the  second  table  onto  a  horizontal  wooden  bar,  where 
they  are  rapidly  sorted  over  by  a  man  who  throws  inferior 
and  spotted  bunches  to  one  side.  The  whole  operation 
is  rapid  and  beautiful.  The  fresh  fibre  is  then  hung  over 
bars,  in  the  southern  wind,  to  dry,  after  which  it  is  baled 
in  presses  for  shipment. 

We  had  no  trouble  in  completing  the  measurement  of 
subjects  from  the  indian  hands  on  the  place,  and  made  por- 
traits and  photographs  of  native  dancers.  In  the  afternoon 
the  h'men  appeared.  He  was  an  extremely  clean  and  neat 
indian  of  forty-five,  and  carried  at  his  side  a  little  sack, 
within  which,  carefully  wrapped  up  in  a  handkerchief,  were 
his  sastuns.  There  were  five  in  all;  three  were  small  round 
balls  of  glass,  broken  from  the  stoppers  of  perfume  bottles; 
one  was  somewhat  barrel-shaped  and  of  bluish  color,  while 
the  other,  the  largest  of  all,  was  rather  long,  fancifully 
formed,  and  with  facets  ground  out  upon  it;  it  was  yellowish 
in  tint.  The  two  latter  were  apparently  from  toilet  bottles. 
Telling  him  that  I  was  anxious  to  learn  about  something 
which  had  been  stolen  from  me,  I  asked  what  was  necessary 
in  the  way  of  preparation.    He  demanded  a  candle  and 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


3ii 


aguardiente.  A  great  taper  of  yellow  wax  and  a  bottle  of 
spirits  were  supplied.  Taking  these  in  his  hand,  he  entered 
the  little  chapel  of  the  hacienda,  considering  it  a  good  place 
for  conjuring.  He  piously  kissed  the  altar  tables  and  the 
bases  of  the  crucifixes  and  saints;  then  picking  out  a  dark 
corner  he  opened  his  cloth,  took  out  his  glasses,  lighted  the 
candle  and  squatted  for  his  operation.  Taking  one  of 
the  crystal  balls  between  his  fingers,  he  held  it  between  the 
flame  and  his  eye  and  looked  intently  into  it,  as  if  seeking 
something.  One  after  another,  the  five  crystals  were  care- 
fully examined.  Finally,  laying  the  last  aside,  he  shook 
his  head.  He  could  see  nothing,  nothing  whatever,  that 
interested  the  gentleman,  unless  indeed  sickness;  this  he 
pointed  out  in  one  of  the  little  balls;  redness,  fever.  Being 
urged  to  try  again,  after  an  interval  he  got  down  to  real  busi- 
ness; he  took  the  aguardiente,  dipped  the  crystals  into  the 
liquor,  repeating  formulas  as  he  did  so,  and  again  made 
the  test,  but  with  no  better  result.  He  could  see  nothing, 
absolutely  nothing,  of  stolen  property;  there  was  nothing 
in  the  crystal  of  interest  to  the  gentleman,  except  fever; 
that  there  was,  he  was  certain.  This  practice  of  divining 
by  means  of  crystals  is  a  survival  from  the  old  pagan  days. 
It  is  probable  that  there  is  no  indian  town  of  any  size  in 
Yucatan  where  some  hJmen  does  not  make  use  of  it. 

We  had  now  finished  our  work  with  Maya  indians, 
except  the  measurement  of  a  few  women  and  the  making  of 
a  single  bust.  Upon  rather  strong  representation  to  the 
jefe,  a  desperate  effort  was  made  by  the  policemen  and 
the  women  were  secured.  Among  the  village  police-force, 
one  man  had  attracted  our  particular  attention,  as  repre- 
senting a  type  of  face,  quite  common  among  the  Mayas, 
which  we  have  called  the  serpent-face.  It  is  round  and 
broad,  with  retreating  chin  and  receding  forehead,  and  with 
curious,  widely-separated,  expressionless  eyes.     We  had 


312 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


already  measured  and  photographed  the  subject,  but,  be- 
cause he  was  a  policeman  and  had  been  useful,  we  thought 
we  would  not  subject  him  to  the  operation  of  bust-making. 
Seeing,  however,  that  no  other  equally  good  subject  had 
presented  itself,  we  decided  to  make  his  bust,  and  told  him 
so.  To  our  surprise  he  refused.  The  jefe,  for  once,  acted 
promptly  and  without  hesitation  issued  an  absolute  order 
that  the  man's  bust  should  be  made.  The  order  had  no 
effect.  The  officials  scolded,  threatened,  but  Modesto  Kan 
was  immovable.  The  jefe  ordered  that  he  should  be 
thrown  into  jail,  which  order  was  promptly  obeyed,  but  all 
to  no  purpose.  Our  subject  said  we  might  whip  him,  fine 
him,  keep  him  in  jail,  or  kill  him,  but  he  would  not  have  his 
bust  made.  Hours  passed,  and  neither  remonstrance  nor 
threats  on  the  part  of  the  jeje  or  ourselves  were  of  the  least 
avail.  On  my  last  interview  with  him,  I  found  him  lying 
on  a  mat  with  so  high  a  fever  that  I  dared  not  urge  the  matter 
further,  and  we  desisted  from  our  efforts  to  secure  him. 
It  was  the  only  subject  among  3,000  indians,  with  whom  we 
failed  to  carry  out  our  work. 

A  story  which  the  old  judge  had  told  us  had  its  influence 
in  my  permitting  this  subject  to  escape.  These  Mayas 
often  die  for  spite,  or  because  they  have  made  up  their 
mind  to  do  so.  Don  Manuel  at  one  time  was  summoned 
by  a  rich  indian  with  whom  he  was  well  acquainted.  The 
man  was  not  old,  and  had  land,  good  houses,  many  head 
of  cattle,  much  maize,  and  many  fowls.  He  had  three 
children,  and  owned  the  houses  near  his  own  in  which  they 
lived.  Everything  was  prospering  with  him.  Yet  the 
message  to  the  judge  was  that  he  should  come  at  once  to 
hear  this  indian's  last  words.  With  a  companion  he  has- 
tened to  the  house,  and  found  the  man  in  his  hammock, 
dressed  in  his  best  clothes,  waiting  for  them.  He  seemed 
in  perfect  health.    When  they  accosted  him,  he  told  them 


IN  MAYA  LAND  313 

he  was  about  to  make  his  will,  and  say  his  last  words.  They 
told  him  that  a  man  in  health  had  a  perfect  right  to  make 
his  will,  but  remonstrated  with  him  for  saying  that  he  was 
about  to  speak  his  last  words.  He  insisted,  however,  that 
he  was  about  to  die.  In  vain  they  argued  with  him;  he 
had  had  his  dream.  He  gave  to  one  child,  house,  animals, 
corn,  poultry;  to  the  second,  similar  gifts;  to  the  third,  the 
same.  Then,  having  bidden  them  all  farewell,  he  lay  down 
in  his  hammock,  took  no  food  or  drink,  spoke  to  no  one, 
and  in  six  days  was  dead.  Such  cases  are  not  uncommon 
among  Maya  indians  of  pure  blood. 

When  we  reached  home  that  night  we  found  Ramon 
unwell.  Next  day,  the  last  of  our  stay  at  Tekax  he  was  suf- 
fering with  fever.  He  had  done  no  work  while  we  were 
absent  the  day  before,  and  all  the  packing  and  doing-up 
of  plaster  fell  upon  the  others  of  the  party.  As  for  him, 
he  collapsed  so  completely  that  it  scared  me.  The  ordin- 
ary mestizo  has  no  power  of  resistance;  no  matter  how 
trifling  the  disease,  he  suffers  frightfully  and  looks  for 
momentary  dissolution.  It  was  plain  from  the  first  mo- 
ment that  Ramon  believed  that  he  had  the  yellow  fever; 
instead  of  trying  to  keep  at  work  or  occupying  himself  with 
something  which  would  distract  his  attention,  he  withdrew 
into  the  least-aired  corner  of  a  hot  room  and  threw  him- 
self onto  heap  of  rugs  and  blankets,  in  which  he  almost 
smothered  himself,  cut  off  from  every  breath  of  fresh  air. 
In  vain  we  urged  him  to  exert  himself;  in  the  middle  of 
the  afternoon  we  took  him  to  the  doctor,  who  assured  us 
that  the  case  was  in  no  way  serious  —  at  the  worst  nothing 
more  than  a  light  attack  of  malaria.  In  the  afternoon  the 
jefe,  neglecting  the  padre,  invited  the  judge  of  primera 
instancia  and  myself  to  accompany  him  upon  a  little  expe- 
dition to  the  neighboring  Cave  of  the  Fifth  of  May.  We 
went  in  a  coach,  taking  Louis,  who  sat  with  the  driver,  as 


3H  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 

photographer;  on  the  way,  we  visited  the  town  cemetery, 
which  we  found  a  dreary  place,  with  no  effort  at  adorn- 
ment and  with  an  air  of  general  neglect.  We  passed  a 
number  of  places  where  they  were  boiling  sugar,  and  at  one 
we  stopped  to  see  the  mode  of  dipping  calabashes  for 
dulces;  the  fruits  are  gourd-like,  but  have  considerable 
soft  pulp  within  the  thin,  hard  crust;  several  holes  are  bored 
through  the  external  shell  and  the  calabashes,  slung  by 
strings  into  groups  at  the  end  of  a  pole,  are  dipped  into  the 
boiling  sap  or  syrup;  the  dipping  is  done  two  or  even  three 
times,  and  the  clusters  are  removed  and  allowed  to  drip  and 
dry  between  dips.  The  loose  flesh  is  soaked  through  with 
the  syrup,  making  a  rich,  sweet  mass,  much  used  for  des- 
serts. Finally,  we  turned  into  another  place  where  sugar 
was  being  made,  and  found  it  the  cleanest  and  neatest  of 
its  kind.  Here  we  sampled  little  cakes  of  clean  brown 
sugar,  and  were  treated  with  similar  cakes  in  which  peanuts 
and  squash-pips  were  embedded,  making  a  delicious  con- 
fection. We  were  here  supplied  with  a  clean,  fresh  jicara 
cup,  and,  walking  along  the  path  a  few  rods,  ascended 
slightly  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  which  was  far  hand- 
somer than  we  had  expected.  The  limestone  of  Yucatan 
abounds  in  caves  and  subterranean  water-courses,  espe- 
cially near  the  base  of  the  ridge  already  mentioned.  The 
mouth  of  the  cavern  was  fringed  with  ferns  and  other 
vegetation.  A  flight  of  rustic  steps  led  down  to  the  nearly 
level  floor  of  red  cave-earth.  The  light  from  outside 
entered  sufficiently  to  show  the  greater  portion  of  the  cave. 
The  rock  walls,  opposite  the  opening,  were  brilliantly 
green  with  some  minute  growth;  from  the  floor  rose  a  heap 
of  stone  upon  the  top  of  which  was  set  an  olla  of  large  size 
to  catch  the  water  dripping  from  the  roof;  it  was  full  of 
most  beautifully  clear,  cool  water,  which  we  dipped  out  with 
our  jicara  and  drank.    At  two  or  three  other  places  on  the 


The  Coach  that  Carried  Us  to  the  Station;  Tekax 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


3i5 


floor,  and  on  projections  from  the  side  walls  of  the  cave, 
were  other  ollas,  or  broken  water-troughs  of  stone,  for 
catching  water.  Lighting  our  candles  we  went  behind  a 
pendant  veil  of  thick  stalagmite.  At  some  spots  hummocks 
of  snow-white  crystalline  matter,  with  a  reticulated  surface, 
had  been  deposited  by  dripping  water.  A  few  great  masses 
of  stalagmite  rose  from  the  floor,  and  there  were  some 
columns  of  the  same  material.  On  returning  from  the 
cavern,  nothing  would  do  but  we  must  breakfast  with  the 
jefe,  which  we  did,  in  state,  though  at  our  usual  boarding- 
house. 

The  three  great  industries  about  Tekax  are  sugar, 
hennequin,  and  liquor.  Father  Juan  insisted  that  we  should 
visit  one  of  the  local  distilleries,  of  which  there  are  fourteen 
in  Tekax.  Sugar,  ground  with  water  into  a  thick  syrup, 
is  drawn  off  from  the  mill  into  great  vats,  where  it  is  per- 
mitted to  ferment;  it  is  then  taken  into  the  still,  where  it  is 
heated  and  vaporized,  and  the  vapor  carried  up  into  high 
towers  for  condensation.  These  three-storied,  square, 
wooden  towers,  with  ventilator-shafts,  re  one  of  the  charac- 
teristic features  of  the  town. 

Padre  Juan  insisted  on  supplying  a  coach  for  our  leaving, 
in  the  morning.  This  coach,  like  those  at  Merida,  was  an 
extremely  small  affair,  for  a  single  horse.  Under  any  cir- 
cumstances it  would  scarcely  carry  three  persons,  without 
luggage,  besides  the  driver.  When  it  is  remembered  that 
our  party,  (consisting  of  four),  the  stout  padre,  four  satchels, 
measuring-rod,  tin  pan  and  blankets,  made  up  the  load, 
it  can  be  easily  appreciated  that  the  little  coach  was  full. 
We  rode  slowly,  and  the  poor,  creaking  vehicle  threatened  to 
fall  to  pieces  every  moment,  but  we  reached  the  station 
safely.  It  was  scarcely  ten  when  we  arrived  at  Merida  and 
took  our  old  quarters  at  the  Moromuzo.  Our  invalid  at 
once  lay  down,  and  neither  threats  nor  bribes  would  move 


3l6 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


him;  he  looked  as  if  he  suffered,  but  he  insisted  on  doing 
so;  going  to  the  nearest  drug  store  we  described  his  symp 
toms  to  the  apothecary,  who  assured  us  that  the  case  could 
not  be  serious,  and  supplied  a  remedy  which  was  rapid 
and  energetic  in  its  action,  though  our  sick  man  insisted 
that  he  was  not  improved. 

We  were  now  but  waiting  for  notice  of  a  vessel  sailing 
from  Progreso  for  Coatzacoalcos.  Writing,  errands,  visits, 
rilled  up  the  time,  but  it  was  dreary  waiting.  The  muddy 
streets,  the  heavy,  moist,  fetid  air,  the  outrageous  prices, 
the  mosquitoes  —  all  combined  to  make  a  disagreeable 
experience.  We  worried  through  three  days,  and  still  no 
announcement  of  a  boat.  In  a  visit  made  to  the  bishop,  to 
tell  him  of  our  kind  reception  in  Tekax  and  to  make  in- 
quiry regarding  books  printed  in  the  Maya,  we  were  again 
warned  by  the  prelate  to  be  most  careful  of  our  health; 
that  day,  he  told  us,  two  of  our  countrymen,  working  at  the 
electric-light  plant,  had  been  stricken  with  yellow  fever 
and  would  surely  die.  The  second  day  we  were  in  town 
the  boys  met  Don  Poncio,  one  of  the  Spanish  comrades  of 
the  padre  at  Tekax,  who,  with  another  of  the  household, 
had  run  away,  leaving  the  good  priest  alone,  as  the  young 
fellow  who  had  been  ill  in  the  room  next  ours  developed 
a  full  case  of  yellow  fever  the  day  we  left,  and  was  dead 
before  night. 

One  day  we  went  to  a  emote  for  a  bath.  Passing  through 
a  house  into  a  rather  pretty  garden,  we  came  to  a  stairway, 
partly  natural  and  partly  cut  in  the  solid  rock,  which  we 
descended;  we  found  ourselves  in  a  natural  cave,  with  a 
pool  of  blue,  transparent  water.  A  paved  platform  surround- 
ed one  side  of  the  cave,  and  near  its  rear  edge  was  a  bench 
of  masonry,  which  was  continued  along  the  side  of  the 
pool  by  a  similar  bench,  cut  partly  from  the  living  rock. 
The  water  was  so  clear  that  we  could  see,  by  the  light  coming 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


3i7 


from  above,  to  its  very  bottom,  and  could  detect  little  black 
fishes,  like  bull-heads,  against  the  sand  and  pebbles.  The 
pool  was  irregular  in  shape,  so  that  a  portion  of  it  was  out 
of  sight  behind  the  rock-wall,  beyond  which  we  found  that 
there  was  a  paved  floor  and  benching  similar  to  that  in  the 
portion  which  we  had  entered.  We  had  a  delightful  and 
refreshing  swim  in  this  underground  pool,  but  it  was  no- 
ticeable that,  after  we  came  out  into  the  air,  there  was  no 
evaporation  of  water  from  the  body,  and  towels  were  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  drying.  Such  cenotes  are  found  in 
many  parts  of  Yucatan,  and  form  the  regular  bathing- 
places,  and  are  often  the  only  natural  supplies  of  drinking- 
water.  Of  streams  above  ground  there  are  practically 
none  in  the  whole  peninsula. 

The  last  day  of  our  stay  in  Merida  we  saw  the  xtoles. 
These  are  bands  of  indian  dancers  who  go  from  house  to 
house  during  the  carnival  season;  they  are  dressed  in 
costumes  which  reproduce  some  features  of  the  ancient 
indian  dress.  In  the  little  company  which  we  saw  were 
fifteen  dancers,  including  the  standard-bearer;  all  were 
males,  but  half  of  them  were  dressed  like  females  and  took 
the  part  of  such.  The  male  dancers  wore  the  usual  white 
camisa  and  drawers,  but  these  had  a  red  stripe  down  the  side 
of  the  leg;  jingling  hawk- bells  of  tin  or  brass  were  attached 
to  various  parts  of  their  dress;  a  red  belt  encircled  the 
waist;  all  wore  sandals.  The  " female"  dancers  wore 
white  dresses  of  the  usual  sort,  with  decorated  borders  at 
the  arm  and  neck;  also  necklaces  of  gold  beads  and  gold 
chains  with  pendants.  Two  of  the  dancers  were  little 
children,  but  the  rest  appeared  to  be  young  men  up  to  about 
thirty-five  years  of  age.  All  wore  crowns  upon  the  head; 
these  consisted  of  a  circlet  of  tin,  from  which  rose  two  curved 
strips,  which  intersected  over  the  middle  of  the  head;  from 
the  circlet  rose  four  feathers  —  either  natural  or  made  of 


3i» 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


tin.  Two  of  the  crowns  of  special  size,  with  real  feathers, 
marked  the  king  and  queen.  Under  the  crowns,  covering 
the  top  of  the  head  and  hanging  down  from  the  shoulders, 
were  gay  handkerchiefs  of  red  or  blue.  All  the  dancers 
were  masked.  The  men  wore  bandoliers  of  cotton,  worked 
with  bright  designs  representing  animals,  birds  and  geo- 
metrical forms;  the  square  ends  of  these  were  hung  with 
marine  shells.  In  their  hands,  the  dancers  carried  curious 
rattles  and  fans,  which  they  used  in  making  graceful  move- 
ments as  they  danced.  The  handle  of  the  fan  consisted 
of  the  leg  and  foot  of  a  turkey,  while  the  body  was  composed 
of  the  brilliant  and  beautifully  spotted  feathers  of  the  ocel- 
lated  turkey,  a  bird  peculiar  to  Yucatan  and  the  adjacent 
country.  There  were  two  musicians,  one  with  a  long  pito, 
or  fife,  and  the  other  with  a  huehuetl  or  drum,  which  he  struck 
with  his  hand.  Hanging  to  the  side  of  the  drum  near  the 
top  was  a  turtle-shell,  upon  which  the  drummer  beat,  from 
time  to  time,  with  a  deer's  horn.  A  standard  was  carried  by 
the  company,  which  bore  a  representation  of  the  sun,  with 
dancers  and  a  serpent;  the  pole  by  which  it  was  carried  was 
surmounted  with  a  tin  disk  representing  the  sun's  face.  The 
music  was  apparently  of  indian  origin  and  the  words  of  the 
song  were  Maya.  The  dancing  itself  was  graceful  and 
accompanied  by  many  curious  movements.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son, our  American  consul  to  Yucatan,  believes  this  dance  is 
ancient,  and  thinks  he  has  found  representations  of  it  painted 
on  the  walls  of  ancient  ruins  at  Chichen  Itza. 

Merida  prides  itself  upon  its  carnival,  which,  it  claims, 
ranks  third,  —  Venice  and  New  Orleans  alone  surpassing  it. 
It  was  admitted  that  the  celebration  of  this  year  was  far 
below  that  of  others.  The  cause  of  this  dullness  was 
generally  stated  to  be  the  great  amount  of  sickness  prevalent 
in  the  city.  However  that  may  be,  it  certainly  was  a  tame 
affair.    On  the  15th  two  processions  took  place,  one  in  the 


The  Xtoles;  Merida 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


3*9 


morning,  the  other  in  the  afternoon;  these  were  arranged 
by  two  clubs  of  young  people,  and  each  desired  to  surpass 
the  other.  We  saw  that  of  the  afternoon,  and  found  it  not 
particularly  interesting.  A  number  of  private  carriages, 
drawn  up  in  line,  passed  through  the  streets;  within  were 
gentlemen,  ladies  and  children,  but  few  of  them  wore  masks, 
or  were  otherwise  notable;  besides  these,  in  the  procession, 
were  five  allegorical  cars.  One  represented  a  gilded  boat 
containing  pretty  girls;  it  was  arranged  to  seem  to  rise 
and  fall  upon  a  billowy  sea.  A  second  float  represented 
the  well-known  ancient  statue,  the  Chacmool;  an  indian,  in 
the  attitude  of  the  figure  mentioned,  held  an  olla  upon  his 
breast,  while  one  or  two  others  stood  near  him  as  guards 
or  companions.  The  most  attractive  float  was  loaded  with 
the  products  of  Yucatan,  and  a  group  of  figures  symbolizing 
its  industries  and  interests.  Upon  the  fourth,  a  female  figure 
stood  erect  in  a  chariot  drawn  by  lions.  The  fifth  was 
comic,  and  represented  marriage  in  public  and  private  — 
a  vulgar  couple  indulging  in  affectionate  display  before  a 
partition,  and  in  a  conjugal  quarrel  behind  it.  These 
floats  were  scattered  at  intervals  through  the  procession, 
which  was  of  no  great  length. 

By  this  time  Ramon  had  suffered  violent  agonies,  and 
had  become  so  weak  that  assistance  was  needed  when  he 
walked.  The  second  day  in  Merida  we  had  sent  for  a 
competent  physician,  who  assured  us  that  nothing  was  the 
matter  excepting  an  unimportant  attack  of  bilious  fever, 
and  that  with  a  day  or  two  of  treatment  he  should  be  entirely 
recovered.  On  his  second  visit  he  was  much  irritated,  as 
the  young  man  had  not  made  the  promised  improvement, 
and  assured  us  that  there  was  no  cause  for  his  collapse. 
During  our  first  visit  to  Merida,  in  hunting  through  the 
city  for  Protestants  —  a  practice  in  which  he  invariably 
indulged  whenever  we  reached  a  town  of  consequence  — 


3  20 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Ramon  bad  happened  on  an  interesting  little  man  who 
represents  the  American  Bible  Society  in  this  district.  By 
name  Fernandez,  this  gentleman  was  born  in  Argentina, 
educated  in  Spain,  and  has  served  as  colporteur  in  the  states 
of  Chiapas,  Tabasco  and  Yucatan  for  upwards  of  a  dozen 
years.  He  was  stout,  active,  and  vivacious;  he  claimed  to 
have  been  in  every  town  in  Chiapas,  and  gave  us  much 
advice  regarding  our  journey  to  that  state;  he  called  upon 
us  several  times  during  our  stay,  and  shared  the  general 
disgust  over  our  sick  man,  who,  he  assured  us,  had  nothing 
serious  the  matter,  and  only  needed  to  arouse  himself  to  throw 
off  the  bilious  attack  from  which  he  suffered.  On  the 
streets  we  met  the  baron  who  had  been  with  us  on  our 
voyage  from  Tampico.  He  told  us  that  after  one  day  in 
Merida,  he  and  his  lady  decided  that  they  preferred  Progreso, 
and  were  stopping  there,  going  down  upon  the  day-train 
when  they  wished  to  visit  Merida.  He  also  warned  us  that 
we  need  never  expect  to  see  the  forty  dollars  which  we  had 
advanced  through  the  vice-consul,  as  whatever  disposition 
should  be  made  of  our  complaint  regarding  customs  charges 
by  the  government,  no  such  money  was  ever  known  to  leave 
his  hands.  Following  events  entirely  confirmed  this  gentle- 
man's dire  prophecy;  neither  Mr.  Thompson  nor  Senor  Solis 
have  paid  the  least  attention  to  communications  regarding 
the  matter  sent  after  our  return  to  our  own  country.  It 
is  little  likely  that  the  Mexican  government  refused  to 
refund  the  payment;  but  we  shall  probably  never  know. 

The  remarks  of  the  baron  suggested  a  new  line  of  action. 
Why  longer  wait  in  Merida  for  our  boat?  Progreso  is 
cleaner,  cooler,  enjoys  a  sea  breeze,  and  gives  as  good  living 
for  less  than  half  the  price  we  were  paying.  For  comfort, 
for  the  benefit  of  our  sick  man,  for  the  advantage  of  our 
pocket,  we  would  be  better  off  at  Progreso  than  in  Merida. 
While  there  were  cases  of  smallpox  in  the  little  seaport, 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


321 


there  were  none  of  yellow  fever.  In  every  way  it  looked 
attractive,  and  on  Monday  morning  we  left,  and  found 
ourselves,  before  noon,  comfortably  located  in  the  curious 
little  hotel,  La  Estrella  de  Oro,  in  Progreso.  To  be  sure, 
our  rooms  were  mere  stalls,  being  separated  from  each 
other  by  board  partitions  scarcely  eight  feet  in  height,  and 
without  ceiling,  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  escape  the  con- 
versation in  neighboring  rooms  at  night.  The  table,  how- 
ever, was  excellent,  and  the  price,  compared  with  what  we 
had  been  paying,  economy  itself.  Having  seen  my  com- 
panions comfortably  located,  I  returned  to  Merida,  where 
there  was  still  some  business  demanding  attention.  This 
time  I  found  a  room  in  the  Hotel  Concordia,  which  was  the 
most  comfortable  I  enjoyed  in  Merida,  although  the  price 
of  $4  for  the  mere  room  was  high.  The  day  before,  we  had 
seen  the  Battle  of  Flowers  of  the  carnival.  No  flowers 
figured  in  it;  it  consisted  of  a  long  procession  of  carriages, 
mostly  private  and  mostly  good;  they  were  filled  with  well- 
dressed  young  people,  of  whom  few  were  masked;  all  were 
supplied  with  confetti,  which  was  thrown  in  handfuls  by 
those  in  the  carriages  upon  those  in  carriages  going  in  the 
other  direction,  for  the  procession  was  double.  Usually, 
girls  and  ladies  threw  at  men  and  boys,  who  reciprocated 
the  compliment;  the  ladies  had  their  hair  loose  and  flowing, 
and  wore  no  hats;  so  that  in  a  little  time  it  was  filled  with  the 
brilliant  bits  of  paper.  Everyone,  also,  had  long  strips  of 
colored  paper,  rolled  up  like  ribbons,  which  were  now  and 
then  launched,  either  with  no  direct  aim  or  at  some  person; 
as  these  strips  unrolled  they  trailed  prettily  in  the  air,  and 
everyone  caught  at  the  trailing  streamers.  Crowds  of  poor 
children  chased  along,  beside  and  behind  the  carriages, 
catching  at  the  showers  of  bits  of  paper,  and  at  the  long 
streamers,  which  they  kept,  or,  in  turn,  hurled  at  passers. 
The  balconies  of  all  the  better  houses  were  filled  with  people, 


322 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


as  were  the  seats  and  raised  platform  fronting  the  town- 
house,  and  those  in  the  balconies  and  on  the  seats  rained 
down  paper  upon  those  in  the  carriages.  Many  children  in 
the  balconies  were  masked,  and  wore  grotesque  costumes,  but 
few  grown  persons  were  so  decked  out.  While  pretty  and 
characteristic,  the  Battle  of  Flowers  disappointed  us,  lacking 
the  life  and  " abandon' '  which  one  usually  associates  with 
the  idea  of  carnival.  It  was  all  reserved,  and  respectable, 
and  unenthusiastic.  The  only  persons  who  really  seemed 
to  enjoy  it  were  the  poor  children,  with  their  loads  of  bright 
paper  and  long  streamers.  Monday  afternoon,  the  most 
striking  function  of  the  carnival,  so  far  seen,  took  place. 
This  was  an  enormous  procession  of  vehicles;  private  car- 
riages, with  elaborate  equipment,  were  filled  with  finely- 
dressed  gentlemen  and  ladies ;  common  rented  coaches  were 
in  line,  and  some  of  them  were  loaded  to  their  full  capacity 
with  common  people  —  four,  five,  or  even  six,  in  one;  in  one 
were  four  brawny,  young  cargadors;  in  another  an  old 
grandmother,  her  two  daughters,  and  some  grandchildren^ 
pure  indians,  rode  complacently,  enjoying  the  admira- 
tion which  they  knew  their  best  clothes  must  attract;  in 
some  of  the  fine  private  coaches,  no  one  but  indian  nurses 
or  favored  servants  rode.  Even  here,  few  of  the  parties  were 
really  dashing,  lively  or  beautiful.  The  whole  thing  was 
constrained,  artificial  and  sedate.  An  occasional  group 
seemed  to  really  enjoy  the  occasion.  One  bony  horse 
dragged  an  ancient  buggy  or  cart,  which  might  well  be 
that  of  some  country  doctor,  and  in  it  was  the  gentleman 
himself,  commonly  dressed,  but  with  a  whole  family  of  little 
people,  who  were  bubbling  over  with  enjoyment.  Another 
happy  party  was  that  of  a  common  carter,  who  had  his 
own  dray  in  the  line,  with  his  children,  neatly  but  commonly 
dressed,  as  its  only  occupants;  in  two  or  three  carriages 
were  maskers,  though  none  of  them  appeared  funny;  one 


Carnival  at  Progreso 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


drayman's  cart  had  been  hired  by  a  crowd  of  loud  and 
boisterous  youngsters,  who  performed  all  kinds  of  pranks 
and  bawled  nonsensical  remarks  to  the  crowd. 

My  chief  errand  was  to  see  the  leader  of  the  xtoles,  to 
purchase  from  him  some  of  the  objects  which  they  had 
used  in  their  dance.  Just  as  I  was  starting,  at  evening, 
for  the  address  he  had  given  me,  I  met  Senor  Fernandez 
in  the  plaza,  and  he  agreed  to  accompany  me  to  the  place. 
We  went  some  little  distance  on  the  street-car,  and,  dis- 
mounting at  the  corner  of  a  narrow  lane,  were  about  to  start 
through  it,  when  someone  touched  my  companion  on  the 
arm,  and  greeted  him.  He  recognized  the  owner  of  the 
little  shop  before  which  we  stood.  Heartily  invited  to  enter 
the  tienda,  we  did  so  and  stated  the  object  of  our  quest. 
The  shopkeeper  at  once  said  that  we  must  have  a  lantern, 
as  the  road  was  dark,  and  ordered  his  clerk  to  accompany 
us  with  one,  for  which  we  were  truly  thankful.  We  came, 
finally,  to  the  house  where  Don  Gregorio,  the  leader  of  the 
dancers,  lived.  Fernandez  was  friendly  and  voluble,  greet- 
ing every  company  of  girls  and  women  that  we  met,  or  who 
were  at  the  house,  as  "lindas"  and  passing  compliments. 
He  was,  however,  uneasy,  continually  glancing  around  and 
asking  repeatedly  when  Don  Gregorio  would  appear.  The 
dancers  were  still  absent,  but  expected  every  moment; 
in  fact,  we  could  hear  their  music  in  the  distance.  When, 
finally,  they  did  appear,  their  leader,  who  was  very  drunk, 
insisted  that  he  could  not  treat  in  the  matter  until  after 
the  next  day,  which  would  be  the  culmination  of  the  carni- 
val, and  their  chief  day  for  dancing.  The  instant  that  we 
received  this  answer,  Fernandez  seized  the  lantern,  which  the 
clerk  had  left,  and,  grasping  me  by  the  arm,  we  started  off 
at  breakneck  pace.  As  we  almost  rushed  down  the  stony 
road,  he  looked  furtively  to  right  and  left,  and  told  me  that 
there  were,  no  doubt,  persons  in  the  neighborhood  who  had 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


recognized  him,  and  said  that,  more  than  once,  in  this  very 
neighborhood,  he  had  been  stoned  when  selling  bibles,  and 
that  any  moment  we  ran  our  chances  of  a  night  attack. 
Apparently,  however,  people  were  too  much  excited  over 
carnival  to  waste  their  time  in  baiting  Protestants,  and  we 
heard  no  whizzing  missiles,  and  soon,  reaching  the  corner 
shop,  left  the  lantern,  and  went  home.  There  had  been 
doubt  as  to  whether  trains  would  run  the  following  day, 
Tuesday,  on  account  of  carnival.  I  found,  however,  that 
the  train  on  which  I  had  counted,  leaving  at  seven  in  the 
morning,  went  as  usual,  though  it  was  the  only  train  of 
the  day  for  Progreso.  My  companions  were  delighted  to 
see  me,  and  I  found  our  sick  man  sure  that  death  was  im- 
minent; to  tell  the  truth,  he  was  constantly  spitting  black 
blood,  which  oozed  from  his  gums,  and  which  gave  me  more 
concern  than  any  of  his  previous  symptoms.  We  found  the 
carnival  at  Progreso  more  natural  and  unpretentious, 
but  also  far  more  lively  and  amusing,  than  anything  in 
Merida.  To  be  sure,  some  of  the  performances  bordered 
on  the  indecent,  but  on  the  whole,  it  was  jolly,  and  scarcely 
gave  cause  for  Manuel's  pious  ejaculation  that  there  were 
many  abusos.  Groups  of  men  and  boys  went  through  the 
streets  decked  with  ribbons  and  flowers,  and  with  their 
faces  painted  or  daubed;  many  carried  handfuls  of  flour, 
or  of  blue  paint,  which  they  dashed  into  the  faces  or  over 
the  clean  clothes  of  those  they  met;  bands  of  maskers 
danced  through  the  streets;  companies  of  almost  naked 
boys,  daubed  with  colors,  played  toro  with  one  who  was 
inside  a  frame  of  wood.  One  man,  completely  naked, 
painted  grotesquely,  pranced  through  the  streets  on  all 
fours;  young  fellows,  dressed  in  women's  clothes,  with  faces 
masked  or  painted,  wandered  about  singly,  addressing  per- 
sons on  the  street  in  a  high  falsetto  voice  with  all  sorts  of 
woeful  stories  or  absurd  questions.    Very  pretty  was  a 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


3*5 


company  of  trained  dancers,  —  with  a  standard,  leader, 
music,  and  fancy  costume,  —  each  of  whom  carried  two 
staves  in  his  hands;  these  performed  a  variety  of  graceful 
movements,  and  sung  a  song  in  Spanish ;  this  was  interestingly 
like  the  song  of  the  xtoles,  and  the  movements  were  almost 
precisely  theirs.  In  the  evening,  we  attended  the  baile  de 
los  mestizos  —  dance  of  the  mestizos,  where  the  elite  of  the 
little  city  was  gathered,  and  the  place  was  crowded.  Very 
little  of  it  was  enough,  for  while  the  music  and  dancing  were 
all  right,  the  heat,  the  tobacco-smoke,  and  the  perfume, 
were  overpowering. 

To  our  joy,  on  Wednesday,  the  " Hidalgo"  appeared, 
bound  for  Coatzacoalcos.  All  day  Thursday  we  waited 
for  it  to  unload  its  cargo,  and  on  Friday  morning,  we  loaded 
into  a  little  sail- boat  at  the  wharf,  which  we  hired  for  a 
price  far  below  what  the  regular  steamer  would  have  charged 
to  take  us  to  our  vessel.  The  luggage  had  been  weighed 
and  valued,  and  an  imposing  bill  of  lading,  and  an  official 
document,  had  been  made  out,  to  prevent  our  paying  duty 
a  third  time  when  we  should  reach  our  port.  At  10:30 
we  were  on  the  "  Hidalgo,"  ready  for  leaving.  It  is  the 
crankiest  steamer  on  the  Ward  Line,  and  dirty  in  the  ex- 
treme. The  table  is  incomparably  bad.  The  one  redeem- 
ing feature  is  that  the  first-class  cabins  are  good,  and  on  the 
upper  deck,  where  they  receive  abundance  of  fresh  air; 
there  were  plenty  of  seats  for  everyone  to  sit  upon  the  deck, 
a  thing  which  was  not  true  of  the  "Benito  Juarez."  Of 
other  first-class  passengers,  there  were  two  harmless  Yuca- 
tecan  gentlemen  —  one  of  whom  was  seasick  all  the  voyage, 
—  and  two  Americans,  brothers,  one  from  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
and  the  other  from  Springfield,  111.  The  captain  of  our 
vessel  was  a  Norwegian,  the  first  officer  was  a  Mexican,  the 
chief  engineer  an  American,  the  purser  a  low- German,  the 
chief  steward  an  Oaxaca  indian,  and  the  cook  a  Filipino. 


326  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Never  was  I  so  glad  to  reach  a  resting-place,  never  so 
relieved,  as  when  we  got  our  baggage  and  our  sick  man  safely 
on  board.  As  to  the  latter,  he  at  once  lay  down,  and,  prac- 
tically, was  not  on  his  feet  during  the  voyage.  We  had 
expected  to  make  the  run  in  thirty  hours,  but  were  hindered 
by  rough  weather,  catching  portions  of  two  northers;  the 
second  was  so  bad  that,  when  almost  in  sight  of  our  destina- 
tion, we  were  forced  to  put  to  sea  again,  and  lost  many  hours 
of  time  and  miles  of  distance.  On  the  morning  of  the 
third  day,  however,  we  had  dropped  anchor,  and  on  looking 
from  the  cabins  at  five,  caught  sight  of  Coatzacoalcos;  but 
it  was  not  the  Coatzacoalcos  of  1896.  Prodigious  changes 
had  taken  place.  The  Pearson  Company,  having  taken 
possession  of  the  railroad,  had  made  great  improvements; 
their  pretentious  general-offices,  located  at  the  wharf,  had 
recently  been  completed;  the  railroad  station  had  been 
improved;  the  old  shack,  where  we  slept  in  1896,  had  been 
torn  down,  and  a  construction  track  occupied  its  place;  on 
the  little  rise  behind,  a  pretty  and  large  hotel  had  been 
erected;  on  the  higher  land,  to  the  right,  a  line  of  well-built 
houses,  making  some  pretension  to  architectural  effect, 
had  been  constructed.  It  was  only  after  landing,  and  walk- 
ing through  the  older  portions  of  the  town,  that  any  familiar 
scenes  were  recognized.  Though  we  were  ready  to  land 
at  five,  and  wished  to  catch  the  train  at  seven,  we  were 
forced  to  wait  for  the  official  inspection,  and  saw  the  longed- 
for  train  —  and  there  would  be  no  other  for  two  days  — 
pull  out  before  our  eyes.  Finally,  at  nine  o'clock,  we  were 
permitted  to  land.  To  my  surprise,  my  shipping  document 
was  called  for,  but,  being  produced,  we  were  subjected  to 
no  difficulty.  The  balance  of  the  day  was  spent  in  wander- 
ing about  the  village,  meeting  former  acquaintances,  at- 
tending to  odds  and  ends  of  shipment,  and  strolling  on  the 
familiar  beach,  which  was  still  covered  with  scurrying  crabs 


IN  MAYA  LAND 


3*7 


and  sprinkled  with  white  "sand  dollars."  During  the 
night,  a  terrific  norther  blew,  and  the  next  day,  cold,  dull 
gray,  rainy,  kept  us  indoors.  By  this  time,  the  purser  of 
the  "Hidalgo,"  who  had  himself  had  yellow  fever,  and 
said  he  was  familiar  with  it,  had  convinced  us  that  Ramon 
really  had  had  a  slight  touch  of  that  dread  disease,  but  having 
passed  his  tenth  day  of  sickness,  was  destined  to  recover, 
and  would  be  no  serious  menace  to  other  people. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES 
(1901) 

/^\N  the  following  morning,  at  seven,  we  took  the  rail- 
road  train,  and  at  five  at  night  had  reached  Tehuan- 
tepec,  and  were  pleasantly  located  in  our  old  hotel,  the 
Europa.  On  February  28,  we  visited  the  market,  called 
at  the  house  of  the  jefe  politico  for  a  letter  to  the  town 
authorities  of  Huilotepec,  and  visited  Dr.  Castle,  whom 
we  found  much  the  same  as  ever.  We  failed  to  find  the 
jefe  at  his  office,  though  we  went  there  several  times,  but 
found  him  sitting  in  a  tienda  much  the  worse  for  drinking. 
He  was  charmed  to  see  us,  embraced  us  warmly,  and  told 
us  that  his  thoughts  had  frequently  been  with  us  since  our 
former  sojourn  in  his  district.  New  supplies  of  wine, 
and,  on  the  appearance  of  certain  ladies,  of  champagne, 
were  ordered  in  witness  of  his  satisfaction.  In  regard  to 
our  desires,  he  was  delighted  to  learn  that  Louis  was  shoot- 
ing birds,  declaring  that  we  were  just  in  time;  that  he  had 
a  damnable  order  from  Mexico  to  send  on  skins  of  all  the 
birds  of  his  district  for  the  National  Museum,  and  that  he 
had  not  known  what  to  do  in  the  matter;  we  must  prepare 
them;  if  we  did  so,  willingly,  we  should  be  handsomely 
paid;  but  if  not,  he  would  be  compelled  to  force  us.  The 
jail  was  ready,  and  men  die  easily  in  Southern  Mexico. 
With  this,  he  made  some  suggestions  that  it  was  easy  for  a 
person  to  be  officially  reported  as  accidentally  killed,  or 
dead  from  vomito.    He  insisted  that  we  should  not  go  alone 

to  Huilotepec,  but  that  he  himself  would  accompany  us 

328 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES  329 


and  make  sure  that  everything  was  done  according  to  our 
wishes.  All  these  dire  threats  and  great  promises  were 
completely  forgotten  on  the  following  day,  when  we  sallied 
forth  alone. 

In  the  jefe's  office  we  learned  that  during  the  past  year 
not  only  Coatzacoalcos,  but  Tehuantepec,  had  suffered 
frightfully  from  yellow  fever.  Of  course,  the  disease  is  no 
rarity  on  the  Gulf  coast,  though  it  was  never  worse  than  in 
the  last  season;  but  in  Tehuantepec,  and  on  the  Pacific 
coast,  it  is  a  thing  so  rare  as  to  be  almost  unknown.  So 
true  is  this,  that,  when  it  was  first  reported  from  this  dis- 
trict, the  federal  government  did  not  believe  the  story,  and 
sent  a  commission  to  investigate.  We  learned  that  the 
commission  arrived  at  evening,  and,  finding  two  persons 
dead  in  their  black  vomit  on  the  street,  made  no  further 
investigation,  but  started  for  Mexico  on  the  following 
train.  The  spread  of  the  disease  to  the  west  coast  is  gen- 
erally attributed,  and  no  doubt  correctly,  to  the  railroad. 
The  disease  was  particularly  fatal,  in  both  places,  to  Ameri- 
cans and  Englishmen,  and  it  was  whispered  that  90  per 
cent  of  the  employes  of  the  new  railroad  management  suc- 
cumbed. The  chief  clerk  in  the  jefe's  office  told  us  that, 
while  many  cases  occurred  here,  no  pure  indians  were 
taken,  and  that  none  of  the  mestizos  who  were  affected 
died  —  the  mortality  being  confined  to  the  foreigners. 

Dr.  Castle  had  moved,  but  his  place  was  as  interesting 
as  ever.  For  pets,  he  had  three  hairless  dogs,  a  mapachtl, 
two  macaws,  two  parrots,  and  a  lot  of  doves,  one  of  which 
he  had  taught  tricks.  He  was  much  interested  in  cactuses, 
and  had  established  a  garden  in  which  he  planned  to  have 
all  the  species  of  the  district.  We  had  purchased  some 
iguanas  in  the  market,  and  Louis  had  been  skinning  them. 
The  Doctor  said  that  there  were  three  species  of  iguanas 
in  the  district,  the  largest  being  green,  changing  to  orange 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


or  gray,  and  its  flesh  not  being  eaten,  as  it  is  too  sweet; 
the  second  species  is  of  medium  size,  and  gray  or  black  in 
color;  the  third  is  rarer,  smaller,  and  is  striped  lengthwise; 
it  lives  among  the  rocks  near  the  coast.  The  two  last 
species  are  both  eaten,  and  are  often  sold  in  market.  Here 
we  learned,  by  a  casual  remark  which  Manuel  dropped  on 
seeing  the  ugliest  of  the  hairless  dogs,  that  these  are  believed, 
not  only  here,  but  in  Puebla,  and  no  doubt  elsewhere  through 
the  Republic,  to  cure  rheumatism.  In  order  to  effect  a  cure, 
the  dog  must  sleep  for  three  nights  with  the  patient,  and  the 
uglier  the  dog  the  more  certain  the  cure.  Through  Dr. 
Castle,  we  also  learned  that  the  Zapotec  indians  hereabouts, 
have  many  songs,  of  which  the  sandunga  is  a  great  favorite. 
Questioning  an  indian  friend  of  mine,  we  afterwards  learned 
that  there  are  many  of  these  pieces  of  music  which  are  held 
to  be  truly  indian.  The  words  are  largely  Zapotec;  Spanish 
words  are  scattered  through  the  song,  and  the  sentiment 
is  largely  borrowed.  Most  of  the  songs  are  love-songs, 
and  they  abound  in  metaphorical  expressions.  Our  little 
trip  to  Huilotepec  was  for  the  purpose  of  photographing  the 
curious  and  interesting  mapa  belonging  to  the  village.  We 
rode  out  over  the  hot  and  dusty  river-bed  road,  arriving 
at  noon.  Sending  for  the  agente  and  secretario,  we  ordered 
breakfast  and  made  known  our  errand.  Though  it  plainly 
was  not  to  their  taste,  the  mapa  was  brought  out  for  our 
inspection.  It  is  painted  on  a  piece  of  coarse  cotton  cloth, 
of  native  weaving,  in  three  colors  —  blue,  red  and  black. 
The  places  around  Huilotepec  are  indicated  by  their  ancient 
hieroglyphs.  Several  personages  of  the  ancient  time  are 
represented  in  the  conventional  manner  commonly  used  in 
Zapotec  writings  before  the  Conquest.  After  eating,  we 
placed  the  mapa  against  the  wall,  wrote  out  a  description 
of  it,  and  photographed  it.  Dismay  now  filled  the  soul  of 
the  agente,  and  the  one  principal  whom  he  had  summoned 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES  331 


for  advice.  They  talked  long  and  earnestly  with  me  about 
the  mapa,  and  begged  me  to  assure  the  jeje  that  it  was  no 
good;  that  it  was  not  autorizado;  that  it  was  mudo.  To 
quiet  their  fears,  I  was  compelled  to  write  a  letter  to  that 
effect  to  be  delivered  to  the  jeje;  if  it  ever  came  to  hand, 
he  certainly  found  it  incomprehensible.  Mrs.  Seler,  in  her 
book,  describes  the  trouble  that  they  had  in  seeing  this 
mapa,  and  the  interest  which  their  examination  of  it  aroused. 
Dr.  Castle  told  us  that,  several  years  ago,  he  accompanied 
a  Mr.  Werner  and  a  priest  to  Huilotepec  to  see  the  mapa, 
and,  if  possible,  to  secure  a  picture  of  it.  For  a  long  time 
they  were  unable  to  secure  a  glimpse  of  the  old  document, 
and  it  was  only  when  the  priest  assured  the  indians  that 
the  doctor  was  an  American  engineer,  who  had  been  com- 
missioned to  survey  the  line  in  dispute  between  the  village 
and  the  Juaves,  that  they  were  allowed  to  see  it.  Before 
permission  was  then  given,  a  general  meeting  of  the  princi- 
pales  was  held,  and  none  of  the  guests  were  permitted  to 
touch  the  document.  Mr.  Werner  made  an  exposure, 
which  he  sent  to  the  States  for  development;  it  was  lost  or 
destroyed.  It  is  thus  possible  that  ours  is  the  only  picture 
of  it  in  existence. 

We  had  been  told  that  a  coach  went  regularly  from  San 
Geronimo  to  Tuxtla  Gutierrez,  making  the  journey  in  two 
days.  This  seemed  too  good  to  be  true,  and  no  one  at 
Tehuantepec  knew  anything  of  such  an  arrangement,  but 
we  took  the  train  the  following  morning  for  San  Geronimo, 
hoping  to  get  off  without  delay.  All  that  the  traveller  sees 
upon  descending  from  the  train  is  the  station,  the  place  of 
Senor  Espindola,  and  the  little  Hotel  Europa.  To  our 
surprise,  we  found  that  our  baggage  had  not  yet  come  from 
Coatzacoalcos,  although  we  had  seen  it  loaded  on  the  train 
ourselves.  Still  worse,  we  were  informed  that  frequently 
fifteen  days  were  consumed  in  transportation  of  freight 


332 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


from  that  point  hither,  and  that  we  had  no  right  to  expect  it 
so  promptly.  Inquiry  regarding  the  coach  revealed  the 
fact  that  no  such  vehicle  existed.  Six  hard  days  of  horse- 
back riding  would  be  necessary  for  the  journey,  and,  though 
Ramon  admitted  himself  to  be  much  better,  he  was  too  weak 
for  such  an  undertaking.  This  had  had  its  influence  in 
determining  us  to  go  by  coach  in  the  first  place.  When 
in  doubt  as  to  what  we  should  do,  Senor  Espindola  sug- 
gested that  the  journey  could  be  made  by  ox-cart  in  ten  or 
eleven  days.  Though  this  seemed  slow,  it  was  better  than 
to  run  risks  with  our  invalid,  and  we  determined  to  journey 
in  that  fashion  as  soon  as  our  luggage  should  appear. 

The  station  is  situated  on  a  somewhat  elevated  plain, 
constantly  swept  by  heavy  winds.  While  we  were  there, 
this  wind  was  hot,  and  loaded  with  dust.  In  the  afternoon, 
we  walked  through  the  indian  town,  which  extends  over 
a  considerable  area.  The  houses  are  rectangular,  with 
adobe  walls,  mostly  whitewashed,  and  with  steep,  pitched 
roofs.  We  met  a  funeral  procession  in  the  road,  with  the 
usual  band  in  front.  The  coffin  open,  so  as  to  show  the 
child,  was  carried  on  the  shoulders  of  several  men.  The 
mother,  in  contortions  of  real  or  simulated  grief,  was  sup- 
ported by  two  women,  and  the  mourners  brought  up  the 
rear,  wailing  now  and  then.  Among  the  mourners  was  a 
woman  who  suffered  from  black  pinto,  notably  developed. 
The  principal  industry  of  the  town  is  pottery.  The  clay, 
which  is  of  a  greyish-black  color,  is  stiff  and  hard,  and  is 
first  broken  up  with  a  mallet.  When  worked  into  a  stiff 
paste,  it  is  built  by  hand  into  great  ollas  and  plates,  one  and 
a  half  or  two  feet  in  diameter.  These  ollas  we  saw  at  many 
houses,  and  sometimes  they  were  lashed  to  carts,  plainly 
for  bringing  water  from  the  stream.  A  single  olla  thus 
lashed,  practically  filled  a  fair-sized  cart. 

The  little  hotel  at  the  station  is  a  new  venture,  and 


Cart  and  Olla;  San  Geronimo 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES  333 


deserves  complete  success.  At  few  places  in  Mexico  have 
we  found  meals  so  good  and  cheap.  In  the  evening,  more 
from  curiosity  than  expectation,  we  watched  the  train  come 
from  the  east,  and  to  our  surprise  and  satisfaction,  found 
our  luggage.  We  had  really  made  up  our  minds  that  we 
must  spend  some  days  in  waiting ;  on  the  whole,  the  quiet  and 
comfort  of  the  little  tavern  would  not  have  been  unpleasant ; 
but  we  hastened  at  once  to  Senor  Espindola,  and  urged 
him  to  make  instant  arrangements  for  our  leaving  in  the 
morning.  To  this  he  replied  that  no  carretero  would  be 
likely  to  start  on  Sunday,  and  that  we  would  have  to  wait 
until  the  following  day.  Matters  turned  out  better  than 
anticipated,  and  before  nine,  the  following  morning,  our 
arrangements  had  been  made.  Two  carretas  were  hired, 
at  twenty-eight  pesos  each,  to  make  the  journey;  our  driver 
agreed  that,  without  counting  that  day,  he  could  get  us 
to  Tuxtla  in  eight  days;  in  order  to  encourage  him,  we 
promised  to  pay  five  pesos  extra  for  each  carreta,  in  case  we 
reached  the  city  of  Tuxtla  on  Monday  the  nth.  His  name 
was  Eustasio;  he  was  a  good-natured  little  Zapotec,  from 
Juchitan  originally,  but  living  now  at  Guvino,  Union  Hidalgo. 
He  warned  us  that,  for  the  first  day,  we  would  have  to  put 
up  with  some  discomfort,  but  that,  upon  reaching  his  home, 
he  would  fit  us  out  magnificently.  He  promised  to  start  at 
four  that  afternoon,  and  we  were  ready;  of  course,  he  was 
not,  nor  was  he  at  five;  so  we  went  back  to  the  hotel  for  a 
last  good  supper,  and  finally  at  5:50  started.  There  were 
four  teams  and  carts  in  the  company,  loaded  with  freight 
for  Hidalgo.  The  night  was  clear,  with  a  fine  moon.  The 
road  was  over  heavy  sand.  Sometimes  we  walked  in  the 
moonlight,  passing  Ixtaltepec  at  8:30,  and  reaching  Espinal 
at  ten,  where  we  lost  three-quarters  of  an  hour  in  load- 
ing freight.  From  there  all  went  well,  until  a-quarter- 
of-two  in  the  morning,  when  we  were  passing  through  a 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


country  covered  with  scrub  timber.  Here  we  constantly 
met  many  carts  heavily  loaded;  the  road  was  narrow,  and 
several  times  collisions,  due  to  the  falling  asleep  of  one  or 
other  of  the  carreteros,  were  narrowly  escaped.  Finally,  one 
really  did  take  place,  between  our  second  cart  and  a  heavily 
loaded  one  going  in  the  other  direction.  The  axle  of  our 
cart  was  broken,  and  the  vehicle  totally  disabled.  Two 
hours  and  a  quarter  were  consumed  in  making  repairs  and 
in  reloading.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  we  were  impressed 
with  two  characteristics  in  our  driver:  first,  his  ability 
to  swear,  surpassing  anything  that  we  had  ever  heard; 
second,  his  astonishing  skill  and  ingenuity  in  repairing  any 
accident  or  break,  which  happened  on  the  road.  Before 
our  journey  was  over,  we  learned  that  both  these  qualities 
are  common  to  his  profession.  It  was  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning  before  we  were  again  upon  our  way.  All  hope  of 
reaching  Union  Hidalgo  at  the  promised  hour  disappeared. 
Before  sunrise,  we  had  turned  into  the  hot,  dusty,  broad, 
straight  high-road,  which,  after  my  journey  of  1896,  I  had 
devoutly  hoped  never  to  see  again.  Just  as  the  sun  rose,  we 
took  quite  a  walk,  killing  some  parrots,  calandrias,  and  chaca- 
laccas  as  we  walked.  They  said  that  javali  —  peccaries, 
—  were  common  there.  The  day  was  blisteringly  hot, 
long  before  we  reached  Union  Hidalgo;  hot,  hungry  and 
sleepy,  we  reached  our  carter's  home,  a  little  before  ten  in 
the  morning.  The  can  eta  in  which  we  were  travelling  was 
here  far  ahead,  and  after  we  had  rested  half-an-hour  or  more, 
Manuel,  hot  and  perspiring,  appeared,  and  reported  that  the 
disabled  cart  had  broken  down  again,  and  that  the  other 
two  were  delayed  by  a  sick  animal.  All  came  straggling 
in  later.  We  had  planned  to  leave  here  toward  evening, 
travelling  all  Monday  night;  but  hardly  had  we  rested  a 
little,  and  eaten  dinner,  when  Eustasio  announced  that  we 
should  spend  the  night  here,  and  not  leave  until  the  following 


The  Drunkard's  Exchange;  Union  Hidalgo 


Before  Reaching  Union  Hidalgo 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES 


335 


afternoon.  He  said  the  animals  were  hot  and  tired  from 
travelling  in  the  daytime,  and  that  to  push  on  would  defeat 
our  plans.  He  swore  that,  unless  God  decreed  otherwise, 
we  should  reach  Tuxtla  Gutierrez  by  the  promised  date. 
There  was  nothing  for  it  but  submission,  though  we  would 
gladly  have  chosen  a  more  interesting  town  than  Union 
Hidalgo  for  a  stay  of  almost  two  days.  When  evening 
came,  I  took  my  bed  of  poles  out  into  the  open  air,  into  the 
space  between  two  houses ;  Ramon  lay  down  upon  a  loaded 
carreta,  also  out  of  doors,  while  Louis  and  Manuel  took 
possession  of  hammocks  in  one  of  the  houses.  It  was  a 
cloudless  night,  with  brilliant  moon.  The  air  soon  grew 
cool.  After  midnight,  I  was  aroused  by  the  most  frightful 
yelling,  and  opening  my  eyes,  I  saw  a  barefooted,  bare- 
headed indian  yelling  out  the  most  frightful  imprecations 
and  oaths.  At  first  I  thought  that  he  was  insulting  some  one 
in  the  house,  but  both  the  houses  were  fast  closed.  Ramon, 
completely  wrapped  in  his  blanket,  could  attract  no  notice, 
and  I  did  not  believe  that  I  had  been  observed,  nor  that  I 
was  addressed.  For  quite  ten  minutes  the  crazy  drunkard 
stood  there  in  the  moonlight,  bawling  out  a  frightful  torrent 
of  abuse,  invective,  and  profanity,  with  an  occasional 
"Viva  Mexico!  Muere  Guatemala!1'  patriotically  thrown 
in.  At  last  he  disappeared,  but  for  a  long  time  could  be 
heard  howling,  as  he  went  from  house  to  house.  Believing 
that  it  might  be  well  to  be  prepared  for  intruders,  I  arose 
and  pulled  a  stake  from  one  of  the  carts,  and  laid  it  at  my 
side,  upon  the  bed.  But  I  was  soon  fast  asleep  again. 
Awaking  at  five,  I  found  myself  so  cold,  and  the  dew  so 
heavy,  that  I  dressed,  and  wrapped  my  blanket  around  me, 
and  sat  up,  waiting  for  daylight.  At  5 130  our  drunken  friend 
passed  again,  somewhat  less  voluble,  but  still  vociferous. 
He  was  absolutely  crazed  with  drink,  and  through  the  day 
several  times  made  his  appearance,  and  always  with  a 


336 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


torrent  of  abuse  and  profanity  which  made  one's  blood 
run  cold.  Before  the  day  was  well  begun,  a  second  person, 
almost  as  drunk,  but  far  more  quiet,  a  nice-looking  old  man, 
began  making  similar  visits  about  the  village.  The  two 
drunkards,  differing  in  age  and  build,  differed  also  in  dress, 
but  on  the  occasion  of  one  of  their  visits,  they  were  taken 
with  the  crazy  notion  of  exchanging  clothes,  and  proceeded 
to  undress,  making  the  exchange,  and  re-clothing  them- 
selves in  garments  ridiculously  non-fitting  —  all  with  the 
utmost  gravity  and  unsteadiness.  During  the  day,  our 
carretas  were  being  prepared.  Apologizing  for  the  incon- 
venience of  the  preceding  day,  Eustasio  proposed  to  fix 
our  cart  "as  fine  as  a  church."  He  put  a  decent  cover 
over  it,  and  laid  our  sacks  of  plaster  on  the  floor.  Upon 
this,  he  spread  a  layer  of  corn-stalks,  and  over  them,  a  new 
and  clean  petate.  To  be  sure,  the  space  left  above  was 
low  for  comfort,  and  we  were  horrified  when  we  saw  him 
loading  up  the  second  one,  not  only  with  the  balance  of  our 
luggage,  but  high  with  maize,  fodder,  and  great  nets  of  ears 
of  corn,  to  feed  the  animals.  We  had  supposed  that  two 
persons  and  part  of  the  luggage  would  go  in  each  of  the 
carts,  and  never  thought  of  carrying  food  enough  to  last 
four  oxen  eight  days.  Crowding  four  people  into  our 
carreta  made  it  impossible  to  lie  down  in  comfort.  Still, 
such  is  the  custom  of  the  country,  and  we  submitted.  Dur- 
ing the  day  we  heard  a  woman  crying  in  a  house.  Upon 
investigating,  we  found  that  she  was  the  wife  of  a  carretero 
who  had  been  injured  on  the  road,  and  for  whom  a  carreta 
had  been  sent.  Shortly  afterward,  they  brought  the  poor 
fellow  into  town,  amid  weeping  and  lamenting.  When  they 
took  him  from  the  carreta  in  which  he  had  been  brought, 
he  was  supported  by  two  men  and  helped  into  the  house, 
where  he  was  laid  upon  a  hammock.  He  groaned  with  pain, 
and  a  crowd  of  curious  villagers  pressed  into  the  room. 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES  337 


It  was  easy  to  locate  four  broken  ribs  behind,  and  he  com- 
plained of  great  internal  bleeding.  It  seemed  that  he  had 
started  to  climb  up  onto  his  moving  cart  in  the  usual  way, 
and  the  stake  which  he  had  seized  broke,  letting  him  fall 
to  the  ground  under  the  wheel  of  the  heavily-loaded  cart, 
which  passed  over  his  body. 

Finally,  all  was  ready,  and  at  about  five  in  the  evening 
we  started.  Packed  like  sardines  in  a  box,  we  were  most 
uncomfortable.  Personally,  I  did  not  try  to  sleep,  neither 
lying  down,  nor  closing  my  eyes.  Shortly  after  leaving  town, 
we  crossed  a  running  stream,  and  from  the  other  side  went 
over  a  piece  of  corduroy,  upon  which  we  jounced  and  jolted. 
Soon  after,  we  descended  into  a  little  gully,  from  which  our 
team  had  difficulty  in  drawing  us.  The  baggage-cart  had  a 
more  serious  time ;  the  team  made  several  attempts  to  drag  it 
up  the  slope,  but  failed,  even  though  our  whole  company, 
by  pushing  and  bracing,  encouraging  and  howling,  aided. 
There  was  a  real  element  of  danger  in  such  help,  the  slip- 
ping animals  and  the  back-sliding  cart  constantly  threat- 
ening to  fall  upon  the  pushers.  Finally,  the  cart  was  propped 
upon  the  slope,  and  its  own  team  removed;  our  team,  which 
was  heavier  and  stronger,  was  then  hitched  on,  but  it  was 
only  with  a  hard  tug,  and  with  heavy  pushing,  that  success 
was  gained,  and  the  cart  reached  the  summit  of  the  slope. 
We  crossed  a  fine  marsh  of  salt  water,  quite  like  the  lagoon 
at  San  Mateo  del  Mar,  and  were  told  that  we  were  not  far 
from  the  Juave  town  of  San  Dionisio.  From  here,  the 
country,  was,  for  a  distance,  an  open  plain.  With  the  moon- 
light, the  night  was  almost  as  bright  as  day;  cold  winds 
swept  sheets  of  sand  and  dust  over  us.  At  one  o'clock,  we 
happened  upon  a  cluster  of  six  or  eight  carts,  drawn  up  for 
rest,  and  the  company  of  travellers  were  warming  themselves 
at  little  fires,  or  cooking  a  late  supper.  We  learned  that 
this  gypsy-like  group  was  a  compania  comica,  a  comic 


33» 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


theatre  troupe,  who  had  been  playing  at  Tuxtla,  and  were 
now  on  their  way  to  Juchitan.  We  never  before  realized 
that  such  travelling  of  ox-carts  as  we  were  now  experiencing 
was  a  regular  matter,  and  that  the  carter's  trade  is  a  real 
business.  At  two  o'clock,  we  stopped  to  repack  our  loads, 
but  were  shortly  on  the  way  again.  After  the  sun  rose,  we 
were  in  misery;  the  road  was  deep  with  dust,  and  we  were 
grimy,  hot,  and  choking.  When  the  cross  that  marks  the 
beginning  of  the  land  belonging  to  Ixhuatlan  was  pointed 
out,  we  were  delighted,  but  it  was  still  a  long  ride  before 
we  crossed  the  little  stream  and  rode  into  the  villlage. 

Ixhuatlan  is  like  all  the  Zapotec  towns  of  this  district, 
but  less  clean,  on  account  of  its  lying  in  the  midst  of  dust, 
instead  of  sand.  Our  carts  drew  up  in  a  little  grove,  a 
regular  resting-place  for  carting  companies,  where  more 
than  fifteen  were  already  taking  their  daytime  rest.  Hav- 
ing ordered  breakfast,  we  hastened  to  the  stream,  where  all 
enjoyed  a  bath  and  cleansing.  Coffee,  bread,  tortillas , 
eggs,  and  brandied  peaches,  made  a  good  impression,  and 
we  ordered  our  buxom  young  Zapotec  cook,  who  was  a 
hustler,  to  have  an  equally  good  dinner  ready  at  2:30. 
We  set  this  hour,  believing  that  she  would  be  late,  but  she 
was  more  than  prompt,  and  called  us  at  two  to  a  chicken 
dinner.  It  was  interesting  to  watch  the  carreteros  in  the 
grove.  The  scenes  of  starting  and  arriving,  packing  and 
unpacking,  chaffing  and  quarreling,  were  all  interesting. 
In  the  lagoons  of  Vera  Cruz,  our  boatmen  applied  the  term 
jornada  to  a  straight  stretch  across  a  lagoon  made  at  one 
poling;  here  among  the  carreteros,  the  word  jornada  means 
the  run  made  from  resting-place  to  resting-place.  In 
neither  case  is  strict  attention  paid  to  the  original  meaning 
of  the  word,  a  day's  journey.  Ixhuatlan  is  a  made  town; 
a  paternal  government,  disturbed  over  the  no  progress  of  the 
pure  Juaves  in  their  seaside  towns,  set  aside  the  ground  on 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES 


339 


which  this  town  now  rests,  and  moved  a  village  of  Juaves 
to  the  spot.  High  hopes  were  expressed  for  the  success 
of  the  experiment;  now,  however,  the  town  is  not  a  Juave 
town.  It  is  true,  that  a  few  families  of  that  people  still 
remain,  but  for  the  most  part,  the  Juaves  have  drifted  back 
to  the  shore,  and  resumed  their  fishing,  shrimp-catching 
and  salt-making,  while  the  expansive  Zapotecs  have  crowded 
in,  and  practically  make  up  the  population  of  the  place. 
Between  dinner  and  our  starting,  we  wandered  about  the 
village,  dropping  into  the  various  houses  in  search  of  relics. 
As  elsewhere,  we  were  impressed  with  the  independent 
bearing  and  freeness  of  the  Zapotec  woman.  She  talks 
with  everyone,  on  any  subject,  shrewdly.  She  loves  to 
chaff,  and  is  willing  to  take  sarcasm,  as  freely  as  she  gives 
it.  In  one  house  we  had  a  specially  interesting  time,  being 
shown  a  lot  of  things.  The  woman  had  some  broken  pot- 
tery figures  of  ancient  times,  but  also  produced  some  inter- 
esting crude  affairs  of  modern  make  from  Juchitan.  These 
were  figures  of  men  and  women  —  the  latter  generally 
carrying  babies  in  indian  fashion  —  of  horses  and  other 
animals.  As  works  of  art,  they  make  no  pretension,  but 
they  are  stained  with  native  colors,  and  are  used  as  gifts  at 
New  Year's  by  the  common  people.  Here  we  saw  the  mak- 
ing of  baked  tortillas,  and  sampled  some  hot  from  the  oven. 
Such  tortillas  are  called  tortillas  del  homo  —  oven  tortillas. 
Flat  tortillas,  about  the  size  of  a  fruit-plate,  are  fashioned 
in  the  usual  way;  a  great  olla  is  sunk  in  the  ground  until 
its  mouth  is  level  with  the  surface.  This  is  kept  covered 
by  a  comal,  or  a  smaller  olla,  and  a  good  hot  fire  of  coals  is 
kept  burning  within.  When  the  tortillas  have  been  shaped, 
they  are  stuck  on  the  hot  olla,  being  pressed  against  the 
sides,  to  which  they  adhere,  and  are  left  to  bake.  In  bak- 
ing, the  edges  curl  up  so  that  the  cake,  instead  of  being 
flat,  is  saucer-shaped.    They  are  crisp  and  good.  Leaving 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


at  four,  we  continued  on  the  hot,  deep,  dusty  road,  but  saw 
interesting  plants  and  animals  along  the  way.  There  were 
fine  displays  of  the  parasitic  fig,  from  examples  where  the 
parasite  was  just  beginning  to  embrace  its  victim,  through 
cases  where  it  had  surrounded  the  tree  with  a  fine  network 
of  its  own  material,  to  those  where  the  original  tree-trunk 
was  entirely  imbedded  in  the  great  continuous  gray  invest- 
ing trunk  of  the  parasite,  now  larger  than  its  host.  Some 
trees  bore  bunches  of  pale-purple  flowers  of  tubular  form, 
which  fell  easily  from  the  calyx,  and  dotted  the  ground  along 
the  roadside.  Other  trees  appeared  as  if  covered  with 
veils  of  little  purplish-red  flowers  hung  over  them.  Others 
were  a  mass  of  golden  bloom,  the  flowers  being  about  the 
size  of  cherry  blossoms.  A  few  trees,  yet  leafless,  showed 
large,  brilliant  white  flowers  at  the  tips  of  rather  slender 
branches.  At  Ixhuatlan,  we  saw  the  first  monkey's  comb 
of  the  trip.  This  orange-yellow  flower,  growing  in  clusters 
so  curiously  shaped  as  to  suggest  the  name,  is  among  the 
most  characteristic,  from  this  point  on  through  Chiapas 
into  Guatemala.  There  were  but  few  birds,  but  among 
them  were  macaws  and  toucans.  Eustasio  said  that  in  the 
season,  when  certain  berry-bearing  trees  are  in  full  fruit, 
the  latter  may  be  seen  by  hundreds. 

When  night  had  really  fallen,  I  unwisely  sat  in  front 
with  the  driver,  to  prevent  his  sleeping,  and  to  keep  the  ani- 
mals moving.  Both  drivers  had  a  way  of  dozing  off,  utterly 
regardless  of  the  movements  of  the  animals  or  the  dangers 
of  the  road.  Carts  going  in  opposite  directions  must  often 
depend  absolutely  upon  the  oxen  for  their  chance  of 
escaping  collisions  or  being  thrown  over  precipices. 
Frequently  the  animals  themselves  stop,  and  the  whole 
company  is  at  a  standstill  until  the  driver  wakes  up.  In 
this  jornada,  we  had  planned  to  reach  La  Frontera,  the 
border  of  the  state  of  Chiapas,  at  which  place  we  had  been 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES  341 


promised  we  should  arrive  at  8:30  in  the  morning.  Every- 
thing had  gone  well,  and  we  were  just  about  to  reach  the 
place,  where  it  was  planned  to  repack  for  the  last  time;  it 
was  just  daylight,  and  Eustasio  was  congratulating  us  upon 
our  prompt  arrival;  we  drove  to  the  brink  of  a  dry  stream, 
on  the  other  side  of  which  was  our  resting-place;  just  at 
that  instant,  we  heard  the  other  driver  cry  out;  we  stopped, 
and  found  that  the  baggage-cart  was  overturned.  This 
dashed  all  hopes.  There  was  unhitching,  unloading,  the 
making  of  a  new  axle,  and  reloading.  It  was  plain  that 
we  could  not  reach  La  Frontera.  While  the  men  were 
putting  things  to  rights,  we  strolled  up  the  dry  stream-bed 
to  a  shanty,  where  Eustasio  told  us  we  could  breakfast. 
There  was  a  well  there,  with  fresh  water,  and  the  shanty, 
for  the  refreshment  of  travellers,  consisted  of  nothing  but 
a  little  shelter  of  poles.  Here,  however,  we  found  baked 
tortillas,  atole,  and  hard  meat;  the  breakfast  for  four  per- 
sons, cost  twenty-five  centavos,  equal  to  ten  cents  American 
money.  Through  the  day,  birds  were  hunted  and  skinned, 
reading  and  writing  carried  on,  until  at  half-past-three  in 
the  afternoon  we  were  again  ready  for  movement.  The 
road  was  now  sandy,  and  not  dusty,  the  sand  being  pro- 
duced by  the  decomposition  of  crystalline  rocks.  Mount- 
ing to  a  high  llano,  we  shot  a  pair  of  curious  birds,  which 
looked  like  water-birds,  but  were  living  in  a  dry  place  and 
were  able  to  run  with  great  speed.  They  were  of  the  size 
of  a  hen,  and  had  a  long  beak,  long  legs  and  four  flat  though 
not  webbed  toes.  At  the  end  of  this  high  llano,  we  passed 
the  Hacienda  of  Agua  Blanca,  a  property  belonging  to  the 
jefe  of  Juchitan.  From  here,  we  descended  rapidly  over 
a  poor  road,  coming  out  at  nine  onto  the  straight  road  from 
Tapanatepec,  at  this  point  four  leagues  behind  us.  From 
here  on,  the  whole  road  was  familiar  to  me.  La  Frontera 
was  just  ahead,  and,  arriving  there  at  10  o'clock,  we  spent 


342 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


an  hour.  Before  us  rose  a  massive  mountain,  the  ascent 
of  which  seemed  appalling.  We  could  see  a  white  line  of 
road  zigzagging  up  its  side,  and  well  remembered  Governor 
Leon's  pride  in  having  constructed  a  cart-road  against 
great  natural  difficulties.  Thirty  or  forty  ox- teams  had 
gathered  here,  either  ready  to  make  the  ascent,  or  resting, 
after  having  come  down  the  mountain.  Having  gotten 
breath  and  courage,  we  started  at  about  eleven.  The  road 
had  suffered  during  the  five  years  since  I  last  passed  over 
it,  but  was  still  an  excellent  work  of  engineering.  As  we 
mounted,  zigzagging  constantly,  the  magnificent  view  over 
the  valley  widened;  each  new  turn  increased  its  beauty. 
My  companions  were  asleep,  and  had  had  so  little  rest 
recently,  that  I  hated  to  disturb  them  for  the  view.  When, 
however,  we  were  two-thirds  up  the  slope,  they  awakened, 
and  were  as  delighted  as  myself.  We  all  got  out,  and 
walked  for  a  considerable  distance.  An  astonishing  num- 
ber of  little  streams  and  pools  of  fresh  water  burst  forth 
from  the  rocks,  and  cut  across  the  road  or  flowed  along  its 
sides.  Finally,  we  reached  the  summit,  and  began  the  de- 
scent. This  had  made  no  impression  on  me  when  I  went 
over  it  on  horseback,  but  travelling  in  an  ox-cart  was  a 
different  matter,  and  I  shall  never  again  forget  it.  It  was 
less  abrupt  than  the  ascent  —  less  of  vertical  zigzag,  and 
more  of  long  steady  windings.  It  also  was  excavated  in 
the  solid  rock.  It  was  badly  neglected,  and  the  cart  jolted, 
and  threatened  every  instant  to  upset  us,  or  leap  into  the 
gulf.  Coming  out  into  a  more  level  district,  we  passed 
Paraje  and  Dolores,  reaching  Carizal  at  five,  where  we 
stopped  for  the  day.  This  is  a  regular  resting  place  for 
carreteros,  and  there  were  plenty  of  carts  there  for  the  day. 

As  soon  as  the  oxen  were  unyoked,  I  turned  out  my  com- 
panions and  lay  down  in  the  cart,  trying  to  get  an  hour's 
sleep  before  the  sun  should  rise,  as  I  had  not  closed  my 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES 


eyes  since  leaving  Union  Hidalgo  two  days  before.  I  was 
asleep  at  once,  but  in  less  than  an  hour  was  awakened  by 
the  assaults  of  swarms  of  minute  black-flies,  whose  stings 
were  dreadful.  The  rest  of  the  company  suffered  in  the 
same  way,  so  we  all  got  up  and  went  to  work.  A  group  of 
carreteros  breakfasting,  invited  me  to  eat  with  them  — 
hard  tortillas,  atole  and  salted  meat,  formed  a  much  better 
breakfast  than  we  got,  a  little  later,  at  the  house  upon  the  hill 
where  travellers  eat  their  meals.  At  this  house  they  had  a 
little  parrot  which  was  very  tame,  and  also  a  chacalaccay 
which  had  been  hatched  by  a  domestic  hen  from  a  cap- 
tured egg.  This  bird  is  more  slender  and  graceful  than  a 
hen,  but  our  landlord  informed  us  that  its  eggs  are  much 
larger  than  those  of  the  common  fowl,  and  much  used  for 
food.  Both  this  bird  and  the  little  parrot  regularly  fly  off 
with  flocks  of  their  wild  fellows,  but  always  come  back 
afterward  to  the  house.  This  was  a  most  interesting  example 
of  an  intermediate  stage  between  true  wildness  and  domes- 
cation.  There  was  little  doing  throughout  the  day.  Heat, 
black-flies,  and  sunlight  all  made  it  impossible  to  sleep;  but 
we  took  a  bath  in  the  running  brook,  and  skinned  some 
birds,  and  tasted  posole  for  the  first  time.  Posole  is  a  mix- 
ture of  pounded  or  ground  corn  and  sugar,  of  a  yellow  or 
brownish  color,  much  like  grape-nuts.  It  may  be  eaten  dry, 
but  is  much  more  commonly  mixed  with  water.  The  indian 
dips  up  a  pear  a  full  of  clear  spring  water,  and  then,  taking 
a  handful  of  posole  from  his  pouch,  kneads  it  up  until  a 
rather  thick,  light-yellow  liquid  results,  which  is  drunk, 
and  is  refreshing  and  satisfying. 

Almost  all  the  carreteros  at  this  camp  were  Juchitecos. 
They  were  great,  strong  fellows,  and  almost  all  of  them  wore 
the  old-fashioned  indian  breech-clout  of  red  cotton  under 
their  drawers  or  trousers.  When  they  were  working  at  their 
carts,  greasing  the  wheels,  or  making  repairs,  they  were  apt 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


to  lay  by  all  their  clothing  but  this  simple  piece  of  cloth, 
and  their  dark-brown  bodies,  finely  muscled,  hard  and 
tough,  presented  handsome  pictures.  The  little  fellows 
who  accompanied  them,  up  to  the  age  of  twelve,  usually 
ran  about  with  no  article  of  clothing  save  their  little  breech- 
clouts  and  white  cotton  shirts.  In  the  early  afternoon, 
serious  work  began,  and  everywhere  we  saw  these  men 
patching  coverings,  greasing  wheels,  readjusting  cargoes, 
feeding  and  watering  their  animals,  harnessing,  and  making 
other  preparations  for  leaving.  During  the  idle  portion 
of  the  day,  dice  were  in  evidence,  and  Eustasio  was  fas- 
cinated with  the  game.  The  stakes,  of  course,  were  small, 
but  he  kept  at  it  persistently  until  he  had  lost  five  pesos, 
when,  with  forcible  words,  he  gave  up.  I  am  sure  the 
dice  were  loaded,  but  I  am  equally  sure,  from  all  I  know 
of  Eustasio,  that  the  next  time  he  makes  that  journey,  he  will 
have  some  loaded  dice  himself.  Setting  out  at  3:30,  we 
were  at  the  head  of  a  long  line  of  cars,  and  were  soon  mak- 
ing another  steady  zigzag  to  ever  greater  heights  than  those 
before  climbed.  According  to  the  official  itinerario,  the 
distance  from  Dolores  to  San  Miguel  is  five  leagues;  we 
had  left  Dolores  a  league  behind  in  arriving  at  Carizal,  and 
we  naturally  assumed  that  four  leagues  would  bring  us  to 
San  Miguel.  Eustasio,  however,  who  never  under-esti- 
mated, claimed  that  it  would  take  constant  travelling  until 
eight  in  the  morning  to  reach  Los  Pinos,  which  is  still  this 
side  of  San  Miguel.  This  is  a  fair  example  of  the  inaccur- 
acy of  figures  published  by  the  government.  As  I  looked 
behind  at  the  long  line  of  carts,  some  of  which  were  empty, 
and  able  to  journey  at  good  speed,  the  desire  took  posses- 
sion of  me  to  hire  one,  at  least  for  a  short  distance,  in  the 
hope  of  getting  a  little  sleep.  Looking  over  the  line,  to 
make  my  choice,  I  had  just  selected  one,  and  was  about  to 
broach  my  plan,  when  its  driver  ran  the  vehicle  into  the 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES 


345 


branches  of  a  tree,  which  projected  over  the  road,  and  tore 
away  his  awning.  The  idea  was  unaffected  by  this  acci- 
dent, however,  and  picking  out  a  cart,  which  had  a  thick 
layer  of  corn-husks  piled  in  it,  promising  a  comfortable 
bed,  I  arranged  my  bargain  with  the  owner,  and  deserted 
my  party,  betaking  myself  to  my  private  car.  Having  no 
load,  we  pushed  ahead  and,  stretching  myself  at  full  length 
upon  the  heap  of  corn-husks,  I  was  soon  asleep.  It  was 
my  purpose  to  disembark  at  Los  Pinos,  but  we  had  passed 
that  place  long  before  I  awoke,  and  were  in  sight  of  San 
Miguel  when  I  opened  my  eyes.  It  was  too  early  for  break- 
fast, so  I  concluded  to  ride  along  to  Macuilapa,  where  my 
carter  turned  off  into  another  road.  It  was  just  eight  when 
we  arrived,  and  I  thought  of  my  companions  as  probably 
just  reaching  Los  Pinos.  Starting  from  there  at  three  in  the 
afternoon,  they  should  overtake  me  at  seven.  So  I  took 
possession  of  the  great  country-house,  sitting  in  the  corri- 
dor all  day  long.  The  house  is  a  long,  large,  single-storied 
building,  with  heavy  tiled-roof ;  the  store-houses,  sheds  and 
other  out-houses,  with  the  adobe  huts  belonging  to  the  work- 
men, surround  a  somewhat  regular  area.  The  view,  how- 
ever, in  front  of  the  house  is  uninterrupted,  and  looks  off 
into  a  narrow  valley,  bounded  prettily  by  hills.  The  house 
has  a  wide  brick-paved  corridor.  Near  it  was  an  interest- 
ing ancient  stone  carving.  The  rock  was  coarsely  crystal- 
line, and  gray,  or  olive-gray  in  color.  It  had  been  battered 
into  the  bold,  simple  outline  of  a  frog,  crouched  for  leaping; 
the  head  had  an  almost  human  face,  with  a  single  central 
tooth  projecting  from  the  lower  jaw.  The  work  was  in  low 
relief,  and  looked  as  if  the  ancient  workman  had  taken  a 
natural  boulder,  and  beaten  with  his  hammer-stone  only 
sufficiently  to  bring  out  the  details.  The  stone  measured 
perhaps  four  feet  in  length,  three  feet  in  breadth,  and  two 
feet  in  thickness.    It  was  found  in  the  mountains  near,  and, 


346 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


from  the  marks  upon  it,  seems  to  have  been  embedded  in 
the  soil  half  way  up  the  legs.  Probably,  when  first  made, 
it  was  placed  so  that  the  feet  were  even  with  the  ground 
surface,  but  the  accumulation  of  vegetable  soil  since  has 
been  considerable.  The  Hacienda  of  Macuilapa  manu- 
factures sugar  and  raises  indigo,  quantities  of  the  seed  of 
which  were  being  cleaned  when  I  was  there.  The  owner 
of  the  place  is  a  man  of  means,  but  the  meals  served  were  of 
a  mean  and  frugal  kind.  Everyone  made  dire  prophecies 
about  the  time  of  possible  arrival  of  my  companions, 
and  the  period  necessary  for  our  further  journey  to 
Tuxtla  Gutierrez.  I  had  not  expected  my  companions 
before  seven,  and  after  these  dismal  forebodings,  gave  up 
that  expectation.  To  my  surprise,  they  appeared,  in  good 
health  and  spirits,  at  five  o'clock,  though  with  exciting  tales 
of  peril  and  suffering.  After  a  meal  together,  we  again 
mounted  in  the  old  fashion,  and  were  on  our  way.  The 
air  was  fresh  and  cool,  and  at  9:30  the  moon  rose,  giving 
perfect  light.  The  road  was  high  and  sandy,  with  occasional 
small  ascents  and  descents.  At  eleven,  we  stopped  to  rest, 
I  agreeing  to  wake  them  all  at  midnight;  at  one  o'clock 
I  was  awakened  by  our  carretero  raising  the  tongue  of  the 
wagon!  We  passed  La  Razon  at  three.  As  one  of  the 
oxen,  which  had  been  somewhat  lame,  was  now  in  bad  con- 
dition, we  all  dismounted,  half-a-league  before  we  reached 
Zapote,  and  walked  the  rest  of  the  way.  The  Hacienda  of 
Zapote  is  really  almost  a  town.  There  are  two  fincas,  be- 
longing to  two  brothers.  Their  fine  large  houses,  the  out- 
buildings, and  the  clusters  of  adobe  huts  for  the  workmen, 
make  an  imposing  appearance.  We  stopped  at  the  first 
group  of  buildings,  which  stands  a  little  lower  than  the  other. 
Arriving  at  six,  we  spent  the  whole  day  at  this  place;  the 
meals  at  the  great  house  were  excellent  and  cheap.  In 
the  afternoon  we  heard  marimba-playing;  the  instrument 


Marimba-Playing;  Hacienda  de  Zapote 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES  347 


was  called  la  golondrina  and  cost  the  owner  forty-three 
pesos.  The  players  were  carefully  trained,  being  four 
brothers.  The  youngest  of  them  was  not  more  than  four- 
teen years  old,  but  he  put  much  expression  and  spirit  into 
his  playing.  It  was  the  first  time  that  any  of  the  party, 
but  myself,  had  heard  this  instrument,  and  all  were  de- 
lighted at  its  brilliant,  quick,  and  pleasing  music.  We  left 
at  3:45  in  the  afternoon,  but  our  ailing  animal  was  worse 
than  ever,  and  Eustasio  ran  ahead,  trying  to  secure  others 
at  different  ranches.  He  had  had  no  success  when,  after 
a  rough  ride  of  several  hours,  we  drew  up  at  Jiquipilas, 
where  we  waited  until  the  morning.  We  planned  to  secure 
new  animals,  to  leave  at  dawn,  and  to  reach  Tuxtla  after  a 
twenty-four  hour  ride.  We  laid  down  and  slept,  waking 
at  five,  but  finding  no  sign  of  animals.  We  breakfasted  at 
seven,  and  a  little  later  the  new  oxen  appeared.  There  were 
two  yokes  of  rather  light  animals.  Leaving  our  sick  beast, 
and  driving  the  other  three  along  with  us,  the  new  animals 
were  put  to  the  loads,  and  at  eight  o'clock  we  started.  I 
failed  to  recognize  Rancho  Disengafio,  but  having  passed 
it,  we  found  ourselves  at  the  bottom  of  the  much-dreaded, 
last  important  climb  of  the  journey.  The  little  team  drag- 
ging the  passenger  cart  was  inefficient  and  unruly;  tiring 
of  them,  I  dismounted  and  went  ahead  on  foot.  For  a  time 
I  drove  the  unyoked  cattle,  but  a  stubborn  one  wandering 
into  the  brush,  I  gave  up  the  job,  and  left  poor  Louis,  who 
had  just  overtaken  me,  to  chase  him.  He  had  hard  work, 
through  tangled  brush,  here  and  there,  up  and  down,  until 
at  last  the  animal  was  once  more  upon  the  road.  The  boy 
was  hot,  tired,  and  loaded  with  pinolillos.  These  insects 
had  been  in  evidence  for  a  long  time  back.  They  are  ex- 
ceedingly small  ticks,  which  fix  their  claws  firmly  in  the  flesh, 
and  cause  intolerable  itching.  Keeping  in  the  road,  the 
traveller  is  little  likely  to  be  troubled  by  them;  but  walk- 


34» 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ing  through  grass,  or  among  leafy  plants,  is  dangerous. 
Having  climbed  a  portion  of  our  great  ascent,  we  found 
ourselves  at  Agua  Bendita.  It  was  not  as  beautiful  as  on 
the  occasion  of  my  other  visit;  the  projecting  ledge  of  rock 
had  little  water  dripping,  and  in  the  round  catch-basins, 
which  formerly  were  filled  with  fresh,  clear  water,  there 
was  scarcely  any;  on  account  of  the  unusual  dryness,  the 
ferns  were  wilted,  and  there  was  little  of  that  beauty  and 
freshness  which  so  delighted  me  before.  Eustasio  said 
that  he  had  never  seen  the  spot  so  dry  in  all  his  many  jour- 
neys. Nor  were  there  orchids  blooming  on  the  great  tree 
near;  nor  any  of  the  little  toucans  which  had  been  so 
attractive  in  1896.  As  we  stood,  seeking  for  these  well- 
remembered  things,  we  heard  curious  cries  rising  from 
the  valley.  At  first,  I  thought  it  was  indians  wailing  for 
the  dead;  then,  that  it  was  a  band  of  pilgrims  singing. 
But  it  turned  out  to  be  a  company  of  cowboys,  bringing 
cattle  up  for  shipment  to  Tabasco.  Some  rode  ahead, 
and,  with  loud  but  not  unmusical  cries,  invited  and  urged 
the  animals  and  their  drivers  to  follow.  The  beasts  were 
divided  into  three  bands,  thirty  or  forty  in  a  band,  each 
of  which  had  its  mounted  drivers.  The  animals  were 
lively,  and  we  were  warned  that  they  were  muy  bravo. 
Manuel  had  taken  the  task  of  driving  our  loose  cattle, 
and  was  fearful  that  he  would  be  overtaken,  asserting  that 
the  cowboys  had  said  that  he  must  keep  on,  as  they  could 
not  pass  him  with  their  animals.  When  he  came  up  to 
where  we  were,  we  put  a  quick  end  to  his  folly,  driving 
our  three  oxen  to  the  outer  edge  of  the  road,  where  Louis 
and  he  stood  guard  over  them,  while  I  crept  up  on  the 
cliff  to  avoid  scaring  the  animals  that  were  coming.  It 
took  much  driving,  urging,  and  coaxing  on  the  part  of  the 
cowboys  to  get  the  first  two  or  three  to  pass  us,  but 
after  they  had  led  the  way,  the  others  followed  with  a  rush. 


Moving  the  Great  Stone;  Agua  Bendita 


OX-CART  EXPERIENCES  349 


Presently  our  passenger-cart  came  along,  with  both  teams 
of  oxen  hitched  to  it;  the  new  animals  had  proved  too  light 
to  drag  their  proper  loads,  so  the  freight-cart  had  been  left 
behind,  and  the  full  force  employed  in  dragging  the  first  cart 
up  the  hill.  Just  beyond  this  spot,  we  found  a  gang  of 
indians,  under  a  superintendent,  prying  off  an  immense 
rock  mass  that  had  fallen  from  the  cliff  above  onto  the  road, 
with  the  intention  of  dumping  it  over  the  wall  into  the 
abyss.  It  would  have  been  a  sight  to  have  seen  it  plunge, 
but  we  had  no  time  to  wait,  so  simply  stopped  a  few  min- 
utes to  see  the  method  of  moving  the  immense  mass- with 
pole  pries.  Our  cart  had  gone  ahead,  so  we  finished  the 
ascent  on  foot,  and  having  gained  the  summit,  walked  a 
short  distance  on  the  high  plateau  to  Petapa,  where  the 
cart  and  carretero,  Manuel  and  Ramon,  were  waiting. 
Before  we  arrived,  we  met  our  men  going  back  with  the 
four  oxen  for  the  freight-cart.  We  had  supper  at  the  ranch, 
and  waited,  until  at  six  o'clock  everything  was  ready.  Here 
we  sent  back  the  two  yokes  of  animals  which  we  had 
brought  from  Jiquipilas,  and  secured  a  fine,  strong  beast 
to  make  up  our  number,  and  started.  We  did  not  stop  to 
grease  the  wheels,  for  lack  of  time.  It  was  dark,  and  the 
first  part  of  the  journey  was  uncertain  and  difficult;  com- 
ing out  on  to  the  Llano  Grande,  we  found  things  easy, 
though  here  and  there  were  stony  places,  where  we  jolted 
fearfully.  At  10:30,  we  had  passed  La  Cienega,  and  our 
ungreased  wheels  were  not  only  an  annoyance,  but,  Eus- 
tasio  suggested,  a  source  of  danger,  as  they  might  take  fire. 
So,  at  11:30,  we  stopped  to  grease  them.  As  the  axles 
and  wheels  were  then  too  hot  for  grease  to  be  safely  applied, 
we  lay  down  while  they  should  cool.  Probably  in  less  than 
five  minutes,  we  were  all  asleep,  and  no  one  moved  until, 
waking  with  a  start  and  looking  at  my  watch,  I  found  it 
two  in  the  morning.    We  hastily  applied  grease,  without 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


removing  the  wheels,  and  hurried  onward,  passing  Sabino 
Perez,  Yerba  Santa,  and  Sabinal.  Here,  the  errors  in  our 
itinerario,  and  in  our  driver's  guessing  at  distances,  were 
curiously  emphasized.  We  had  a  rather  heavy  descent, 
for  some  distance,  over  a  limestone  hill  called  Santo  Do- 
mingo. Nowhere  do  I  know  of  any  road  which,  under  the 
best  of  circumstances,  seems  as  long  as  the  last  stretch  before 
Tuxtla  Gutierrez.  This  we  had  noticed  on  our  earlier  journey, 
when  we  were  mounted  on  horseback.  Present  conditions 
were  not  likely  to  diminish  the  impression.  At  last,  at  n  130 
in  the  morning  of  March  12,  we  reached  the  capital  city  of 
the  State  of  Chiapas,  and  were  taken  by  our  carretero  to  the 
little  old  Hotel  Mexico,  kept  by  Paco,  where  we  met  a  hearty 
welcome  and,  for  several  days,  made  up  for  the  hardships 
of  our  journey  in  the  way  of  eating. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 


AT  TUXTLA  GUTIERREZ 
(1901) 

T  ~\  TE  knew  that  Governor  Pimentel  was  not  at  home, 
*  *  having  met  him  in  Coalzacoalcos,  where  we  had 
presented  our  official  letters,  and  had  received  from  him 
a  communication  to  his  Lieutenant-Governor,  Lopez. 
Having  spent  the  afternoon  in  settling  and  cleaning,  I 
called  in  the  evening  upon  Governor  Lopez  and  explained 
my  needs.  After  chatting  a  little  time  together,  he  in- 
quired whether  I  had  not  made  the  steamboat  journey 
from  Coalzacoalcos  to  Vera  Cruz  in  March,  1896,  and, 
upon  my  answering  in  the  affirmative,  told  me  that  we  had 
been  fellow-travellers  on  that  occasion.  He  promised  that 
there  should  be  no  delay,  and  made  an  appointment  with 
me  for  the  morning.  I  then  called  on  Don  Conrado  Pala- 
cios,  who  lived  directly  opposite  our  little  tavern,  and  who 
claimed  that  he  recognized  me  the  moment  I  dismounted 
from  our  cart  this  morning.  He  is  still  photographer, 
but  for  three  years  of  the  time  since  last  we  met  has  been 
living  in  the  State  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  but  lately  returned  to 
Tuxtla.  In  the  morning,  Governor  Lopez  supplied  the 
letters  for  my  further  journey,  and  summoned  the  jefe 
politico  and  the  presidente  of  the  city  and  gave  them  per- 
sonal orders  that  they  were  to  assist,  in  every  way,  my  work 
at  Tuxtla,  among  the  Zoques.  The  jefe  himself  took 
charge  of  my  arrangements,  put  his  office  at  my  disposition 
for  a  workshop,  and  the  work  began  at  once.  Contrary  to 
my  usual  experience,  we  had  less  difficulty  in  securing 

351 


352 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


female  subjects  here  than  male.  The  male  Indians  of 
Tuxtla  are,  in  large  part,  employed  in  contract  labor  on 
fincas  at  a  distance  from  the  town.  According  to  their 
contract,  they  are  not  subject  to  the  order  of  local  authorities, 
and  may  not  be  summoned  without  permission  of  their 
employers,  or  a  pecuniary  settlement  with  them.  The  first 
day,  more  than  half  the  women  were  measured,  and  the  second 
day,  the  rest.  As  is  well  known  the  women  of  Tehuantepec 
are  famous  for  their  beauty.  It  is  not  so  well  known  that 
rivalry  exists  between  them  and  the  women  of  Tuxtla  in 
this  matter.  This  rivalry  had  been  called  to  our  attention 
on  our  preceding  visit,  and  we  found  that  it  had  in  no  wise 
abated.  Personally,  we  saw  no  comparison  between  the 
two  sets  of  women,  the  Tehuantepecanas  being  far  superior. 
Eustasio,  however,  ungallantly  and  unpatriotically  declared 
that  he  thought  the  women  of  Tuxtla  the  handsomer;  how- 
ever, we  suspect  that  Eustasio  would  find  the  women  of  any 
town  he  might  be  in,  the  champions  in  beauty  for  the  time 
being.  Their  dress  is  picturesque.  The  enagua  is  made  of 
two  strips  of  dark  blue  cloth,  sewed  together,  side  by  side, 
with  a  fancy  stitching  of  colored  silks.  The  free  borders 
are  also  decorated  with  similar  stitching,  and  the  ends  of 
the  strip,  which  is  usually  more  than  two  yards  in  length, 
sewn  together  with  similarly  decorative  needlework.  In 
fastening  this  garment  about  the  body,  no  belt  is  used. 
The  open  bag  is  gathered  in  about  the  waist,  the  surplus 
is  folded  into  pleats  in  front  and  the  overlap,  at  the  upper 
edge,  is  so  tucked  in  as  to  hold  the  garment  tightly  in  place, 
and  at  the  same  time  form  a  pouch,  or  pocket,  in  which 
small  articles  are  carried.  The  little  huipil,  worn  upon  the 
upper  body,  is  of  thin,  white  cotton  cloth,  native-woven, 
but  a  neat  and  pretty  stuff;  there  are  no  sleeves,  and  the 
neck-opening  and  arm-slits  are  bordered  with  pleated 
strips  of  cotton,  worked  with  black  embroidery.    A  larger 


AT  TUXTLA  GUTIERREZ  353 


huipil  is  regularly  carried,  but  we  never  saw  it  in  use; 
practically,  it  never  is  worn.  If  put  in  place,  it  would  form 
a  garment  for  the  body,  with  the  neck-opening  and  sleeves 
bordered  with  lace,  and  the  lower  edge  reaching  to  the 
knees.  The  woman  carries  this  garment  with  her,  folding 
it  into  a  sort  of  pad,  which  she  places  on  her  head,  letting 
it  hang  down  upon  the  back  and  shoulders.  Upon  this 
cushion,  the  woman  carries  a  great  bowl,  made  from  the 
rind  of  a  sort  of  squash  or  pumpkin,  in  which  she  brings  her 
stuff  to  market.  These  vessels  are  a  specialty  of  the  neigh- 
borhood, being  made  at  Chiapa;  they  are  richly  decorated 
with  a  lacquer  finish,  of  bright  color.  In  carrying  a  baby, 
the  child  is  placed  against  one  side  of  the  body,  with  its  little 
legs  astride,  one  in  front  and  one  behind,  and  then  lashed 
in  place  by  a  strip  of  cloth,  which  is  knotted  over  the  woman's 
opposite  shoulder.  Almost  every  Zoque  woman  is  asym- 
metrical, from  this  mode  of  carrying  babies,  one  shoulder 
being  much  higher  than  the  other.  Among  the  subjects 
measured,  was  a  woman  notable  in  several  ways.  She 
was  the  fattest  indian  woman  we  had  ever  seen;  she  was 
the  richest  of  her  kind,  and  not  only  were  her  garments 
beautiful  in  work  and  decoration,  but  she  was  gorgeous  with 
necklaces,  bristling  with  gold  coins  and  crosses;  more 
than  this,  she  was  a  capital  case  of  purple  pinta.  The 
disease  is  common  among  the  indians  of  the  town,  and, 
while  both  the  red  and  white  forms  are  found,  purple 
seems  to  be  the  common  type.  Sometimes  the  face  looks  as 
if  powder-burned,  the  purple  blotch  appearing  as  if  in 
scattered  specks;  at  other  times,  the  purple  spots  are  con- 
tinuous, and  the  skin  seems  raised  and  pitted. 

It  appears  that  the  adjusting  of  family  quarrels  and 
disputes  between  friends  are  among  the  duties  of  the  jefe. 
In  the  office  that  day,  a  quarrel  was  settled  involving  two 
young  men  related  by  blood  and  by  comradeship;  a 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


woman  and  a  man  of  middle  age  were  also  interested;  the 
quarrel  had  been  a  serious  one,  involving  assaults,  am- 
bushes, and  shootings.  The  jefe  first  summoned  each  of 
the  four  persons  singly,  going  over  the  whole  matter  with 
each  one;  the  more  intelligent  of  the  two  combatants  was 
first  to  be  reasoned  with;  then  the  woman  was  called  in  and 
he  and  she  were  left  together  in  the  office.  For  a  long  time, 
they  would  not  even  speak  to  each  other.  Finding  this 
condition,  the  jefe  reasoned  with  them,  and  warned  them 
that  they  must  come  to  some  conclusion,  after  which  he 
left  them  to  themselves  again.  At  first  they  would  not  speak, 
but  finally  held  a  conversation,  and  came  to  an  under- 
standing; the  old  man  was  then  called  in  and  made  to  talk 
the  matter  over  with  the  two,  who  had  already  been  in 
conference.  Lastly,  the  more  belligerent  youth  was  sum- 
moned, the  jeje  remaining  in  the  room  with  the  whole 
party.  At  first  he  would  not  speak,  but  finally  his  pride 
and  anger  gave  way,  and  he  shook  hands  with  his  cousin, 
and  the  whole  party  left,  after  promising  the  jefe  that  the 
past  should  be  forgotten. 

The  first  afternoon  that  we  were  working,  a  curious 
couple  came  to  the  jefe's  office.  The  woman  was  not 
unattractive,  though  rather  bold  and  hard  in  bearing.  She 
was  dark,  pretentiously  made-up,  and  rather  elegantly 
dressed.  The  gentleman  was  a  quiet,  handsome  fellow, 
dressed  in  sober  black.  When  they  sailed  in,  I  supposed 
they  were  the  jefe's  personal  friends.  Sitting  down,  they 
showed  interest  in  my  work,  and  the  lady  in  a  rather  strident 
voice,  but  with  much  composure,  addressed  us  in  English. 
Her  knowledge  of  our  language,  however,  proved  to  be 
extremely  limited,  being  confined  to  such  expressions  as 
"How  are  you,  sir?"  "I  am  very  well,"  "Yes,  sir,"  "No, 
sir,"  and  "I  know  New  York."  She  was  a  mystery  to  the 
town,  where  she  was  commonly  called  "the  Turkish  lady." 


Zoque  Women;  Tuxtla  Gutierrez 


The  Indian  Alcaldes;  Tuxtla  Gutierrez 


AT  TUXTLA  GUTIERREZ  355 


This  nickname,  her  limited  knowledge  of  English,  and  her 
boasted  acquaintance  with  New  York,  aroused  the  question, 
in  my  mind,  whether  she  might  not  have  been  an  oriental 
dancer.  She,  herself,  told  us  that  she  was  born  in  South 
America,  and  referred  to  Caracas,  as  if  it  were  a  place  with 
which  she  was  familiar.  The  jefe  was  extremely  polite 
in  his  dealings  with  these  people,  and,  as  soon  as  they  were 
seated,  rang  his  bell  for  glasses,  and  we  all  drank  the  lady's 
health  in  cognac.  The  fact  was,  that  these  two  persons 
were  prisoners;  they  had  come  here  within  a  few  days,  and 
had  the  city  for  a  prison;  as  they  had  made  no  effort  to 
leave  the  town,  their  movements  were  not  interfered  with, 
but  if  they  had  attempted  to  step  outside  the  city  limits, 
they  would  have  been  shot  without  a  word  of  warning. 
The  jefe  himself  did  not  know  who  they  were,  nor  what 
crime  they  had  committed;  nor  did  he  know  how  long 
they  would  remain  in  his  custody;  they  had  come  a  weary 
journey,  as  he  put  it,  " along  the  Cordillera;"  they  had  been 
passed  from  hand  to  hand,  from  one  jefe  to  another;  when 
the  order  came,  he  was  to  start  them  on  their  journey  to  the 
jefe  of  the  next  district.  Of  the  many  stories  told  regarding 
them,  a  few  will  serve  as  samples.  She  was  said  to  be  the 
wife  of  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Campeche,  from  whom  she 
had  eloped  with  her  companion,  carrying  away  $150,000. 
According  to  another  view,  they  were  connected  with  an 
important  band  of  forgers  and  robbers,  who  had  been 
carrying  on  extensive  operations.  The  most  minutely 
detailed  story,  however,  was  that  she  had  been  the  mistress 
and  favorite  of  Francisco  Canton,  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Yucatan;  that,  pleased  with  a  younger  and  handsomer 
man,  she  had  stolen  $7,000  from  His  Excellency,  and  at- 
tempted an  elopement;  that,  captured,  they  were  being  sent 
as  prisoners,  nominally  to  Mexico.  Whether  any  of  these 
stories  had  a  basis  of  fact,  we  cannot  say,  but  from  remarks 


356  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  prisoners  themselves  made  to  us,  we  feel  sure  that  the 
centre  of  their  trouble  was  Merida,  and  that,  in  some  way, 
they  had  offended  the  pompous  governor.  At  all  events,  it 
is  likely  that,  long  before  these  words  are  written,  both 
have  met  their  death  upon  the  road.  It  is  a  common  thing 
for  prisoners,  passing  along  the  Cordillera,  to  be  shot 
"while  attempting  to  escape  from  their  guard. " 

The  jeje  politico  of  this  district  is  a  man  of  education, 
and  professional  ability;  he  is  a  physician,  trained  in  the 
City  of  Mexico;  he  is  ingenious  in  mechanics,  and  has 
devised  a  number  of  instruments  and  inventions  of  a  scientific 
kind.  He  had  been  but  a  short  time  in  this  district,  having 
come  from  Tonala,  where  he  has  a  finca.  He  entertained 
us  at  his  house,  while  we  were  there,  and  showed  us  every 
assistance.  It  is  plain,  however,  that  he  found  us  a  white 
elephant  upon  his  hands.  Not  that  his  willingness  was 
lacking,  but  where  should  he  find  one  hundred  indian  men  ? 
We  pestered  him  almost  to  death  for  subjects,  when  at 
last  his  secretario  suggested  the  district  jail.  This  was  a 
veritable  inspiration.  There  they  were  sure  we  would  have 
no  difficulty  in  finding  the  remainder  of  our  hundred.  To 
the  jail  we  went,  but  out  of  seventy-five  prisoners  fully  half 
were  Tzotzils  from  Chamula  and  not  Zoques.  More  than 
half  of  the  remainder  were  not  indian,  but  mestizos.  In 
fact,  out  of  the  total  number,  only  a  bakers  dozen  served  our 
purpose.  When  we  again  presented  ourselves,  the  following 
morning,  for  subjects,  the  poor  man  was  in  genuine  des- 
peration. But  again  his  assistant  made  a  shrewd  sug- 
gestion. Yesterday  we  were  at  the  jail;  to-day  we  should 
go  to  the  cuartel,  and  measure  the  soldiers.  There  were 
two  hundred  there,  and  this  would  more  than  see  us  through. 
The  jeje  himself  accompanied  us  to  the  barracks  and 
introduced  us  to  the  colonel,  leaving  orders  that  we  should 
be  supplied  with  every  aid,  and  went  off  happy,  in  the  sense 


AT  TUXTLA  GUTIERREZ  357 


of  a  bad  job  well  done.  But  out  of  the  two  hundred  sol- 
diers in  the  barracks,  just  ten  turned  out  to  be  Zoques  of  pure 
blood.  And  long  before  the  day  was  over,  we  were  again 
clamoring  at  the  jefe's  house  for  thirty-six  more  subjects. 
To  tell  the  truth,  we  doubted  his  ability  to  secure  them,  and, 
in  order  to  lose  no  time,  started  our  goods  and  plaster  by 
carreta  for  San  Cristobal.  Still,  while  it  was  plain  that  he 
did  not  know  where  to  look  for  help,  the  good  man  assured 
us  that  we  should  have  our  thirty-six  subjects  the  next 
morning.  Meantime,  he  sent  officials  with  us  to  visit  certain 
indian  houses  which  we  desired  to  examine,  and  arranged 
that  we  should  see  a  certain  characteristic  indian  dance  at 
his  house,  at  four  o'clock  that  afternoon. 

Tuxtla  Gutierrez  is  a  capital  city.  It  is  also  a  busy  com- 
mercial centre.  Of  course,  the  population  is  for  the  most 
part  mestizo,  and  not  indian.  We  had  been  surprised  at 
finding  so  many  indians  in  the  city  as  there  were.  We  were 
yet  more  surprised  to  find  to  what  extent  the  houses  of  the 
city,  though  admirably  built,  were  truly  indian  in  style, 
presenting  many  points  of  interest.  The  walls  of  the 
"god-house"  were  heavy  and  substantial,  smoothly  daubed 
with  mud,  neatly  plastered  and  often  adorned  with  colored 
decorations.  The  "  cook-house,"  slighter  and  less  well- 
built,  was  made  of  poles  daubed  with  mud,  and  rough 
with  heavy  thatching.  The  granary  was  elevated  above  the 
ground,  and  sheltered  with  its  own  neat  thatching. 

In  the  afternoon,  at  four  o'clock,  we  betook  ourselves 
to  the  jeje's  house  to  see  the  dance.  At  Tuxtla,  there 
are  two  town  governments,  that  of  the  mestizos  and  that 
of  the  indians.  The  indian  officials  —  "alcaldes  indios" 
—  are  recognizable  by  their  dress,  which  is  a  survival  of 
the  ancient  indian  dress  of  the  district.  Their  camisa,  broad 
hat,  and  leather  breeches,  are  characteristic.  Around 
the  head,  under  the  hat,  they  wear  a  red  cloth,  and 


358  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


those  who  have  served  as  indian  alcaldes  continue  to  wear 
.  this  head-cloth  after  their  official  service  ends.  These 
indian  officials  had  been  commissioned  to  bring  together 
the  dancers,  and  make  all  necessary  arrangements.  The 
colonel,  the  prisoners  of  state,  and  one  or  two  other  guests 
were  present.  The  leader  of  the  dance  was  gaily  dressed, 
in  a  pair  of  wide  drawers  with  lace  about  the  legs  below  the 
knee,  a  pair  of  overdrawers  made  of  bright-colored  hand- 
kerchiefs, and  a  helmet  or  cap  of  bright-red  stuff  from  which 
rose  a  crest  of  macaw  feathers,  tipped  with  tufts  of  cotton. 
On  his  back,  he  bore  a  kind  of  pouch,  the  upper  edge  of 
which  was  bordered  with  a  line  of  macaw  feathers.  In  his 
hand,  he  carried  a  wooden  war-axe.  A  pretty  little  girl, 
dressed  in  a  Guatemaltec  enagua,  wore  a  fancy  head-dress, 
and,  in  her  hand,  bore  a  jicara,  which  was  filled  with  pink 
carnival  flowers.  These  two  dancers  faced  each  other  and  in 
dancing  moved  slowly  back  and  forth,  and  from  one  foot 
to  the  other;  the  only  other  dancers  were  two  men,  one  of 
whom  was  dressed  as,  and  took  the  part  of,  a  woman.  This 
couple  danced  in  much  the  same  way,  but  with  greater  free- 
dom than  the  chief  persons,  and  at  times  circled  around 
them.  The  music  consisted  of  a  violin  and  native  pito  or 
pipe,  and  a  drum  of  the  huehuetl  type,  —  cut  from  a  single 
cylindrical  block,  but  with  skin  stretched  over  both  ends 
instead  of  one. 

I  was  surprised  the  following  morning  when  thirty-six 
subjects  were  produced ;  we  knew  that,  for  the  moment,  the 
building  operations  of  the  government  palace  were  discon- 
tinued, and  we  suspected  that  all  the  work  done  by  indians 
in  Tuxtla  was  likewise  temporarily  ceased.  When  the  last 
one  had  passed  under  the  instruments,  the  jefe  heaved  a 
sigh,  rang  his  bell  for  glasses,  and  the  event  was  celebrated 
by  a  final  draught  of  cognac. 

The  man  with  whom  we  had  expected  to  arrange  for 


AT  TUXTLA  GUTIERREZ 


animals  had  promised  to  come  to  the  hotel  at  seven.  He 
came  not  then,  nor  at  half-past,  nor  at  eight,  nor  at  nine. 
When  we  sent  an  inquiry,  he  made  the  cool  reply,  that  it  was 
now  too  late  to  arrange  matters;  that  he  would  see  us  at 
eight  the  following  morning.  Furious  at  his  failure,  we 
ourselves  went  with  the  boy  from  the  hotel  at  ten  o'clock  to  his 
house,  but  could  not  get  him  even  to  open  the  door.  "To- 
morrow! To-morrow! "  was  his  cry.  Desperate,  we  went, 
although  it  was  now  almost  midnight,  to  another  arriero,  who, 
after  some  dickering,  agreed  to  leave  at  eight  the  following 
morning,  charging  a  price  something  more  than  fifty  per 
cent  above  the  usual  rate.  Of  course  he  was  behindhand, 
but  we  actually  set  out  at  nine. 


CHAPTER  XXV 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS 
(1901) 

T  yl  IE  started  out  over  the  hot  and  dusty  road,  passing 
*  *  here  and  there  through  cuts  of  the  white  earth, 
which  is  used  by  the  women  of  Chiapa  in  their  lacquer- 
work.  We  soon  reached  the  river,  and,  leaving  our  animals 
behind,  to  cool  before  swimming  them  across,  embarked 
with  a  dozen  other  passengers,  and  all  our  baggage,  in  one 
of  the  great  canoes,  which  we  by  no  means  filled.  Landing 
on  the  other  side,  with  an  hour  to  wait,  we  walked  down 
stream,  and  took  a  fine  bath  in  the  fresh  cold,  clear,  deep 
water.  Just  below  where  we  were  bathing,  some  indians 
had  exploded  a  dynamite  cartridge,  killing  a  quantity  of 
fish,  and  the  surface  was  immediately  spotted  with  their 
white,  upturned  bellies.  A  canoe-load  of  four  men  put  out 
to  gather  the  fish,  as  soon  as  the  shot  was  fired.  Just  as 
they  reached  the  spot,  and  were  leaning  over  the  boat  to 
catch  them,  the  canoe  overturned,  and  all  the  men  were 
floundering  in  the  water,  up  to  their  necks,  and  the  canoe 
was  rapidly  drifting  down  the  stream.  The  fish  they  get 
here  are  quite  large,  and  seem  to  be  a  kind  of  cat-fish.  Stroll- 
ing back  to  our  landing-place,  we  were  interested  in  the 
lively  scenes  there  being  enacted.  Under  little  arbors  of 
leafy  boughs,  women  were  washing  clothing;  crowds  of 
children,  of  both  sexes,  were  playing  on  the  sand  or  splashing 
in  the  water;  half-a-dozen  great  canoes  were  dragged  up 
on  the  bank,  and  amid  these  a  group  of  little  brown  fellows, 

from  ten  to  fourteen  years  of  age,  were  swimming;  here 

360 


Our  Ferry-Boat;  Chiapa 


TZOTZ1LS  AND  TZENDALS  361 


and  there,  a  man  or  woman  squatted  in  the  shallow  water, 
dipped  water  over  their  bare  bodies  with  jicaras.  Now 
and  then  the  great  ferry-boat,  loaded  with  passengers  and 
with  animals  swimming  alongside,  made  its  crossing. 
Presently  our  seven  animals  were  swum  across,  and,  after 
a  moment's  drying,  were  repacked  and  saddled,  and  we 
were  ready  for  our  forward  movement. 

Chiapa  was  formerly  the  great  town  of  the  Chiapanecs, 
an  indian  tribe  to  whom  tradition  assigns  past  splendor, 
but  who,  to-day,  are  represented  in  three  villages,  Chiapa, 
Suchiapa,  and  Acala.  They  are  much  mixed  with  Spanish 
blood,  and  have  largely  forgotten  their  ancient  language. 
It  is,  however,  from  them,  that  the  modern  state,  Chiapas, 
received  its  name.  Chiapa,  itself,  is  a  city  of  some  size, 
situated  on  a  terrace  a  little  way  from  the  river,  with  a 
ridge  of  hills  rising  behind  it.  The  plaza  is  large,  and  in  it 
stands  a  market-building.  Near  by  is  a  picturesque  old 
gothic  fountain,  built  of  brick.  Market  was  almost  over, 
but  we  were  interested  in  seeing  the  quantities  of  pineapples 
and  cacao  beans  there  offered.  To  lose  no  time  waiting  for 
dinner,  we  bought  bread  and  one  or  two  large  pineapples, 
which  we  ate  under  the  shade  of  the  trees  in  the  plaza. 
The  pineapples  were  delicious,  being  tender  and  exceed- 
ingly sweet;  our  arriero  refused  to  eat  any  of  them,  asserting 
that  they  were  barely  fit  to  eat,  lacking  sweetness,  and  being 
prickly  to  the  taste.  The  pineapples  of  Simojovel  were  to 
his  liking;  they  are  sugar-sweet,  leaving  no  prickly  sensa- 
tion, and  anyone  can  eat  three  whole  ones  at  a  sitting. 
After  luncheon,  we  looked  about  for  examples  of  lacquer- 
work.  In  one  house,  we  found  some  small  objects  and 
wooden  trays  of  indifferent  workmanship.  An  old  crone, 
badly  affected  with  pinto,  the  mother  of  the  young  woman 
artist,  showed  us  the  wares.  With  her  was  the  older  sister 
of  the  lady- worker,  who,  after  we  had  bought  two  of  the 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


trays,  asked  whence  we  came.  Upon  our  telling  her  that 
Manuel  was  a  native  of  Cordoba,  and  that  I  had  come 
from  the  United  States,  without  a  word  of  warning  she 
raised  her  hands,  turned  her  eyes  upward,  and  gave  vent 
to  a  torrent  of  shrill,  impassioned,  apostrophe  to  her  absent, 
artistic  sister:  " A  dios,  hermana  mia,  Anastasia  Torres, 
to  think  that  your  art-products  should  penetrate  to  those 
distant  lands,  to  those  remote  portions  of  the  world,  to  be 
the  wonder  and  admiration  of  foreign  eyes.  A  dios,  her- 
mana mia,  Anastasia  Torres!"  This  she  repeated  several 
times,  in  a  voice  high  enough  to  be  heard  a  block  or  two  away. 
Leaving  her  to  continue  her  exclamations  of  joy  and  admira- 
tion over  the  fate  of  her  sister's  workmanship,  we  returned 
to  the  plaza,  where,  in  a  house  near  by,  we  found  a  consider- 
able stock  of  better  work,  consisting  of  decorated  bowls, 
cups,  toy  jicaras,  gourd-rattles,  etc.  This  brilliant  work, 
characteristic  of  the  town,  is  carried  hundreds  of  miles 
into  the  States  of  Oaxaca,  Tabasco,  Vera  Cruz,  and  into 
the  Republic  of  Guatemala.  At  two  o'clock  we  hurried 
from  the  town  in  the  midst  of  terrific  heat.  As  we  rode  out, 
over  the  dry  and  sandy  road,  we  were  impressed  by  the  dis- 
play of  death;  not  only  was  there  one  cemetery,  with  its 
whitened  walls  and  monuments,  but  at  least  three  other 
burial  places  capped  the  little  hillocks  at  the  border  of 
the  town.  One,  particularly  attracted  attention,  as  it  resem- 
bled an  ancient  terraced  pyramid,  with  a  flight  of  steps  up 
one  side. 

From  the  foothills,  we  struck  up  the  flank  of  the  great 
mountain  mass  itself.  Mounting  higher  and  higher,  a  great 
panorama  presented  itself  behind  and  below  us,  including 
the  Chiapa  valley,  with  the  hills  beyond  it.  It  was,  however, 
merely  extensive,  and  not  particularly  beautiful  or  pictur- 
esque. As  we  followed  the  slope  towards  the  crest,  into  the 
narrowing  valley,  the  scene  became  bolder,  until  we  were  at 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS  363 


the  very  edge  of  a  mighty  chasm,  which  yawned  sheer  at  our 
side.  Following  it,  we  saw  the  gorge  suddenly  shallow 
hundreds  of  feet  by  a  vast  precipice  of  limestone  rock  rising 
from  its  bottom.  Having  passed  this,  we  journeyed  on  up 
the  canon,  lessened  in  grandeur,  but  still  presenting  pretty 
bits  of  scenery.  Up  to  this  point,  limestone  had  prevailed, 
but  from  here  on,  we  passed  over  various  formations  — 
heavy  beds  of  sand  or  clay,  lying  upon  conglomerates  and 
shales.  The  road  wound  astonishingly,  and  at  one  point, 
coming  out  upon  a  hog's-back  ridge,  we  found  that  we  had 
actually  made  a  loop,  and  stood  directly  above  where  we 
had  been  some  time  before.  Near  sunset,  we  reached  the 
summit,  and  looked  down  upon  the  little  town  of  Ixtapa, 
upon  a  high  llano  below,  and  seeming  to  be  a  half-hour's 
ride  distant:  Descending  on  to  the  llano,  we  found  it 
intersected  by  deep  and  narrow  gorges;  following  along 
the  level,  narrow  ridge,  surrounded  by  ravines  on  every 
side,  except  the  one  from  which  we  had  approached,  we 
presently  descended,  along  its  flank,  the  bank  of  the  deepest 
of  these  barrancas.  The  sun  had  set  long  before  we  reached 
the  bottom,  and  through  the  darkness,  we  had  to  climb  up 
over  the  steep  dugway  in  the  sandy  clay  to  the  village,  which 
we  reached  at  seven.  The  little  room  supplied  us  for  a 
sleeping-place  was  clean  and  neat,  the  floor  was  strewn 
with  fresh  and  fragrant  pine-needles,  and  the  wooden  beds 
were  supplied  with  petates.  Leaving  before  eight,  the 
following  morning,  we  travelled  through  a  beautiful  canon, 
with  an  abundant  stream  of  whitish-blue  water,  tumbling 
in  fine  cascades  among  the  rocks,  and  dashing  now  and 
then  into  deep  pools  of  inky  blackness.  Having  passed 
through  it,  our  bridle-trail  plunged  abruptly  downward. 
From  it,  we  looked  upon  a  neighboring  slope,  cut  at  three 
different  levels,  one  above  the  other,  for  the  cart-road. 
Passing  next  through  a  small  canon  of  little  beauty,  but  where 


364  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


the  air  was  heavy  with  an  odor  like  vanilla,  coming  from 
sheets  of  pale-purple  or  violet  flowers,  on  trees  of  eight  or 
ten  feet  in  height,  we  reached  San  Sebastian,  where  we 
found  our  carretero,  whom  we  supposed  to  have  reached 
San  Cristobal  the  day  before.  Rating  him  soundly,  and 
threatening  dire  consequences  from  his  delay,  we  resumed 
our  journey.  We  were  also  worried  over  our  mozo,  who 
started  from  Chiapa  at  noon,  the  day  before,  with  our  photo- 
graphic instruments,  and  whom  we  had  not  seen  since, 
although  there  were  several  places  where  we  would  gladly 
have  taken  views.  From  here,  for  a  long  distance,  the  road 
was  a  hard,  steep  climb,  over  limestone  in  great  variety  — 
solid  limestone,  tufaceous  stuff,  concretionary  coatings,  satin 
spar,  and  calcite  crystals.  Having  passed  a  small  pueblo, 
or  large  jinca,  lying  in  a  little  plain  below  us,  we  looked 
down  upon  Zinacantan.  The  descent  was  quickly  made, 
and  passing  through  the  village,  without  stopping,  we  made 
a  long,  slow,  ascent  before  catching  sight  of  our  destination, 
San  Cristobal.  It  made  a  fine  appearance,  lying  on  a  little 
terrace  at  the  base  of  hills,  at  the  very  end  of  the  valley. 
Its  churches  and  public  buildings  are  so  situated  as  to  make 
the  most  impression;  on  account  of  its  length  and  narrow- 
ness, the  town  appears  much  larger  than  it  really  is.  We 
entered  at  one  end,  and  then,  practically,  paralleled  our 
trail  through  it  to  the  centre,  where  we  stopped  at  the  Hotel 
Progreso,  at  3 130  in  the  afternoon.  We  went  to  the  palace, 
and  made  arrangements  so  promptly  that  we  could  have 
begun  work  immediately,  if  the  carretero  and  mozo  had  not 
been  behind.  As  it  was,  we  waited  until  next  day,  and 
were  warned  by  the  secretario  at  the  jejatura  that  there 
would  not  be  enough  light  for  work  before  nine  o'clock. 
In  the  evening,  we  called  on  Padre  Sanchez,  well  known 
for  his  study  of  the  native  languages,  and  the  works  he  had 
written  regarding  them.    He  is  a  large  man,  well-built,  of 


Tzotzil  Musicians  in  San  Cristobal  Jail 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS  365 


attractive  appearance,  and  of  genial  manner.  He  has  been 
cur  a  in  various  indian  towns  among  the  Chamulas,  and  he 
loves  the  indians,  and  is  regarded  as  a  friend  by  them.  We 
were  prepared  for  a  cold  night,  and  had  it,  though  no  heavy 
frost  formed,  as  had  done  the  night  before.  In  one  day's 
journey,  the  traveller  finds  towns,  in  this  neighborhood,  with 
totally  different  climates.  Here  woolen  garments  are  neces- 
sary, and  in  towns  like  Chamula  and  Cancuc  the  indians 
find  the  heaviest  ones  comfortable.  Our  rating  of  the  car- 
retero  had  an  effect  both  prompt  and  dire;  when  we  left 
him,  he  hastened  to  hire  carriers  to  bring  in  the  more  im- 
portant part  of  our  load;  these,  he  insisted,  should  travel  all 
night,  and  at  eight  o  clock  we  found  them  at  the  hotel.  In 
the  darkness  they  had  stumbled,  and  our  loads  had  fallen. 
Whole  boxes  of  unused  plates  were  wrecked,  and,  still  worse, 
many  of  our  choicest  negatives  were  broken.  At  nine 
o'clock  the  missing  mozo  appeared  with  the  instruments; 
it  is  customary  for  our  carrier  to  keep  up  with  the  company, 
as  we  have  frequent  need  of  taking  views  upon  the  journey; 
this  was  almost  the  only  instance,  in  the  hundreds  of  leagues 
that  we  have  travelled  on  horseback,  over  mountain  roads, 
where  our  carrier  had  failed  to  keep  alongside  of  the 
animals,  or  make  the  same  time  in  journeying  that  we 
mounted  travellers  did. 

Though  there  had  been  an  early  mist,  there  was  no  lack 
of  sunshine,  even  before  seven.  Still,  we  did  not  go  to  the 
palace  until  nine  o'clock,  the  hour  set.  San  Cristobal  was 
formerly  the  capital  of  the  state,  and  its  public  buildings 
are  more  pretentious  than  usual  in  cabeceras.  The  place  in 
which  we  did  our  work  was  a  building  of  two  stories,  filling 
one  side  of  the  plaza.  We  worked  in  the  broad  corridor 
of  the  second  story,  outside  of  the  secretariats  office,  from 
which  our  subjects,  mostly  indians  who  had  come  to  pay 
school- taxes,  were  sent  to  us  for  measurement.    The  market- 


366 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


place  of  San  Cristobal  is  characteristically  indian.  Not 
only  do  the  two  chief  tribes  which  frequent  it  —  Tzotzils 
and  Tzendals  —  differ  in  dress,  but  even  the  different 
villages  of  each  wear  characteristic  garments.  The 
Tzotzil  of  Chamula  differs  from  his  brother  of  Huixtan  and 
San  Bartolome;  the  Tzendal  women  of  Tenejapa,  Cancuc 
and  San  Andres  may  be  quickly  recognized  by  difference 
in  dress. 

Most  interesting  are  the  Tzotzils  of  Chamula.  Though 
looked  upon  by  the  mestizos  of  San  Cristobal  as  mere 
brutes  and  savages,  they  are  notably  industrious.  They 
weave  heavy,  woolen  blankets  and  chamaras;  they  are 
skilled  carpenters,  making  plain  furniture  of  every  kind; 
they  are  musicians,  and  manufacture  quantities  of  harps, 
guitars,  and  violins;  they  braid  straw,  and  make  hats  of 
palm;  they  are  excellent  leather-dressers,  and  give  a  black 
stain  and  polish  to  heavy  leather,  which  is  unequalled  by 
the  work  of  their  white  neighbors.  Men  wear  lower  gar- 
ments of  cotton,  and  heavy  black  woolen  over-garments, 
which  are  gathered  at  the  waist  with  woolen  girdles.  They 
wear  broad- brimmed,  low-crowned  hats,  of  their  own  braid- 
ing, which  they  adorn  with  long,  streaming,  red  and  green 
ribbons.  Their  sandals  are  supplied  with  heel-guards  of 
black  leather,  the  height  of  which  indicates  the  wealth  or 
consequence  of  the  wearer.  These  indians  of  Chamula 
have  a  love  of  liberty  and  desire  for  independence.  The  most 
serious  outbreak  of  recent  times  was  theirs  in  1868,  when, 
under  the  influence  of  the  young  woman,  Checheb,  they 
attempted  to  restore  the  native  government,  the  indian  life, 
and  the  old-time  religion.  Temples  were  erected  to  the 
ancient  gods,  whose  inspired  priestess  the  young  woman 
claimed  to  be;  but  three  hundred  years  of  Christianity 
had  accustomed  them  to  the  idea  of  a  Christ  crucified;  an 
indian  Christ  was  necessary,  not  one  from  the  hated  in- 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS  367 


vading  race;  accordingly,  a  little  indian  lad,  the  nephew 
of  the  priestess,  was  crucified,  to  become  a  saviour  for  their 
race.  Their  plans  involved  the  killing  of  every  white  and 
mestizo  in  all  the  country;  in  reality,  more  than  one  hundred 
men,  women,  and  children,  in  the  fincas  and  little  towns, 
were  killed;  San  Cristobal,  then  the  capital  city,  suffered 
a  veritable  panic,  and  it  took  the  entire  force  of  the  whole 
state  to  restore  order. 

The  Tzendals  of  Tenejapa  are  picturesque  in  the  ex- 
treme. Their  dark  skin,  their  long  black  hair,  completely 
covering  and  concealing  the  ears,  their  coarse  features,  and 
the  black  and  white  striped  chamaras  of  wool  —  which  they 
buy  from  the  weavers  of  Chamula  —  form  a  striking  com- 
bination. They  do  but  little  weaving,  their  chief  industry 
being  the  raising  and  selling  of  fruits.  Most  of  the  men 
carry  a  little  sack,  netted  from  strong  fibre,  slung  at  one  side. 
Among  other  trifling  possessions  in  it,  is  generally  a  little 
gourd  filled  with  a  green  powder,  which  they  call  mai1  or 
pelico.  It  consists  chiefly  of  tobacco,  with  a  mixture  of 
lime  and  chili,  and  is  chewed,  no  doubt,  for  stimulating 
properties  —  to  remove  the  weariness  of  the  road,  and  "to 
strengthen  the  teeth,"  as  some  say. 

When  we  had  exhausted  the  stock  of  those  who  came 
to  pay  their  taxes,  it  was  suggested  that  we  would  find 
good  subjects  in  the  jail.  This  occupied  what  was  once 
a  fine  old  convent,  built  around  a  large  open  court,  and 
connected  with  the  church,  which,  judging  from  its  elabo- 
rately carved  facade,  must  have  been  beautiful.  On  pre- 
senting our  credentials  to  the  officials,  an  order  was  given, 
and  all  the  pure-blood  indians,  one  hundred  at  least,  were 
lined  up  before  us  for  inspection.  There  were  Tzotzils 
from  Chamula,  and  Tzendals  from  Tenejapa,  and  among 
them  many  excellent  faces,  showing  the  pure  types,  finely 
developed.    Having  made  our  inspection,  and  indicated 


368 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


those  whom  we  should  use,  we  looked  about  the  prison. 
The  prisoners  were  housed  in  the  old  rooms  of  the  mon- 
astery, each  of  which  was  large  enough  for  six  or  eight  per- 
sons. In  these  rooms,  each  prisoner  had  his  personal 
possessions  —  good  clothing,  tools,  cherished  articles,  in- 
struments of  music.  Those  who  cared  to  do  so,  were 
permitted  to  work  at  such  things  as  they  could  do,  and  the 
product  of  their  labor  was  sold  for  their  benefit.  Some 
braided  palm  into  long  strips,  to  make  up  into  hats;  others 
plaited  straw  into  elaborate,  decorative  cords  or  bands  for 
hats;  some  wove  pita  into  pouches;  some  dressed  leather. 
Almost  all  were  busily  employed.  Freedom  of  conversa- 
tion and  visiting  was  permitted,  and  there  was  no  particu- 
lar hardship  in  the  matter  of  imprisonment,  except  the 
inability  to  go  outside.  We  were  impressed  with  the  fact 
that,  in  appearance  and  manner,  few,  if  any,  of  these  in- 
dian  prisoners,  particularly  the  Chamulas,  showed  any 
signs  of  criminal  tendencies.  In  fact,  they  were  as  clean, 
as  frank,  as  docile,  as  intelligent,  as  any  persons  we  might 
find  in  Mexico.  A  little  curious  to  know  the  charges  on 
which  they  had  been  committed,  we  inquired,  and  discov- 
ered that  some  had  fifteen  or  twenty  points  against  them, 
among  which  were  such  trifling  charges  as  murder,  man- 
slaughter, arson,  rape,  and  highway  robbery.  We  thought 
best  not  to  inquire  too  closely,  but  it  is  doubtful,  whether 
any  of  the  subjects  here  incarcerated  under  these  long  and 
dreadful  lists  of  charges,  are  guilty  of  anything  except 
insurrection  —  a  final  struggle  for  freedom. 

There  were  various  signs  of  the  approach  of  Holy  Week, 
and  the  landlady  at  our  hotel,  and  her  various  helpers,  were 
busy  manufacturing  incense  for  that  occasion.  This  was 
made  in  sticks,  as  thick  as  the  thumb,  and  six  or  eight  inches 
in  length,  of  a  black  color.  Besides  copal,  leaves  and  other 
materials  from  various  kinds  of  odorous  plants  were  em- 


TZOTZILS  FROM  HUIXTAN 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS  369 


ployed  in  its  fabrication;  the  incense  thus  made  is  really 
fragrant,  and  it  would  be  interesting  to  know  whether  it  is, 
in  part  at  least,  of  indian  origin.  In  three  days  we  had 
completed  our  examination  of  the  men,  but  not  a  woman 
had  been  produced  for  examination.  On  the  fourth  day,  we 
reiterated  our  demands  to  the  authorities,  and  Don  Murcio, 
the  janitor  or  messenger,  who  had  been  put  subject  to  our 
order,  was  almost  frantic.  He  declared  that  to  secure  the 
women  we  needed  would  tax  every  power  of  the  government; 
that  they  refused  to  come;  that  his  mere  appearance  in  the 
market  caused  a  scattering.  Finally,  we  told  him,  that  if 
he  would  provide  twenty-five  Chamula  women,  we  would 
get  the  Tzendals  in  their  villages,  as  we  passed  through 
them.  Encouraged,  by  having  one-half  of  our  demand 
abated,  he  made  another  visit  to  the  market.  Soon  we 
heard  excited  voices,  and  a  moment  later  Don  Murcio  came 
rushing  up  the  stairs  with  both  arms  filled  with  black  cha- 
maras.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  indian  women,  when  they 
come  to  market,  and  settle  down  with  wares  to  sell,  to  fold 
their  heavier  garments  and  lay  them  on  the  ground  beside 
them.  Don  Murcio  had  gathered  up  the  first  of  these  he 
came  to,  and  fled  with  them  to  the  government  palace, 
while  the  crowd  of  angry  women,  chasing  along  behind, 
expressed  their  feelings  vigorously.  Putting  the  garments 
out  of  reach,  the  women  were  told  by  the  officials,  that  each 
would  receive  back  her  property  as  soon  as  the  strangers 
made  their  desired  measurements.  While  we  were  dealing 
with  the  first  cluster,  Don  Murcio  sallied  forth,  and  returned 
once  more  with  garments  and  women.  In  this  way,  the 
work  proceeded,  until  the  final  lot  were  in  our  hands.  Not  to 
unnecessarily  increase  their  terrors,  we  had  refrained  from 
photographing,  until  the  final  company  had  been  secured. 
We  had  told  the  officials  of  our  plan,  and  as  these  later  ones 
were  measured,  they  were  told  that  they  must  wait  for  their 


37° 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


garments  until  the  last  one  was  measured,  and  until  the 
gentleman  had  done  some  other  work.  When  all  had  been 
measured,  it  was  explained  to  the  six  of  seven  in  the  group, 
that  they  were  to  go  down  into  the  patio,  where  a  picture 
would  be  taken  of  the  company.  That  they  might  be  prop- 
erly prepared  for  the  picture,  their  garments  were  returned. 
Suspecting  no  treachery,  Don  Murcio  led  the  way,  and  one 
of  two  police  officers  accompanied  the  forward  part  of  the 
procession,  while  Louis  brought  up  the  rear,  in  expectation 
of  making  the  portrait.  All  went  well  until  the  first  two 
or  three  had  entered  the  patio,  when  the  rest  suddenly 
balked,  and  started  to  run  out  onto  the  street.  Hearing 
the  confusion,  I  started  down  and  caught  one  of  the  women 
as  she  neared  the  doorway,  while  Louis  held  another,  and 
each  of  the  police  officers,  and  Don  Murcio,  seized  a  pris- 
oner. So  violent,  however,  were  the  struggles,  and  so  loud 
the  outcries  of  the  woman  whom  I  held,  that  I  released  her, 
which  was  the  unintended  signal  for  each  of  the  other 
guards  to  do  the  same,  and  our  group  vanished  and  all 
thought  of  gathering  a  second  was  given  up  in  desperation. 

The  morning  had  thus  passed;  animals  for  the  further 
journey  had  been  ordered  for  ten  o'clock,  and  were  really 
ready  a  little  before  three.  For  once,  however,  we  were 
not  prepared.  It  was  our  custom  to  pack  the  busts  in 
petroleum  boxes;  these  boxes,  each  holding  a  five-gallon 
can  of  oil,  are  of  just  the  size  to  take  a  single  bust,  and  they 
are  so  thin  and  light,  yet  at  the  same  time,  so  well  con- 
structed, that  they  served  our  purpose  admirably.  In  small 
indian  towns,  they  are  frequently  unobtainable,  but  in  the 
places  where  mestizos  live,  it  had  been  always  easy  to  pro- 
cure them,  at  prices  varying  from  ten  to  twenty-five  cents 
each.  In  a  town  the  size  of  San  Cristobal,  it  should  be 
easy  to  get  them;  to  our  surprise,  we  found  that  they  had 
been  in  such  demand,  for  carrying  purposes  by  public 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS  371 


workmen,  that  the  supply  was  small  and  the  price  out- 
rageous. We  had  left  the  securing  of  the  boxes  and  the 
packing  of  the  busts  to  our  plaster-worker,  and,  though  we 
knew  he  had  had  difficulty,  imagined  that  he  had  secured 
all  needed,  and  that  the  busts  would  be  all  ready.  Diligent 
search,  however,  had  secured  but  two  boxes,  and  ridicu- 
lous prices  had  been  demanded  for  those.  All  of  us  took 
to  the  streets,  visiting  stores  and  private  houses,  and  at  last 
five  boxes  were  secured,  though  they  were  a  dilapidated  lot, 
with  bad  covers.  For  these  we  paid  an  average  of  sixty- 
two  cents  each.  Realizing  the  time  and  labor  necessary 
for  securing  boxes,  stuff  for  packing,  and  for  the  work  of 
putting  up  the  busts,  we  dismissed  our  horsemen,  and 
arranged  for  leaving  the  next  morning.  In  fact,  night  had 
fallen  before  our  work  was  done.  Leaving  a  little  before 
eight,  we  had  a  magnificent  mountain  ride.  For  a  league 
or  more,  we  rose  steadily  over  a  cart-road ;  keeping  at  a  high 
altitude,  and,  with  but  little  of  ups  and  downs,  we  journeyed 
through  fine  pine  forests,  with  oaks  mingled,  here  and  there, 
among  the  pines.  We  met  quantities  of  Chamula  and 
Tenejapa  indians  on  their  way  to  market.  The  Chamulas 
carried  chairs,  loads  of  well- tanned  skins,  and  sacks  full 
of  little,  round  wooden  boxes,  well  and  neatly  made,  while 
the  Tenejapes  were  loaded  with  nets  of  oranges,  limas, 
and  ahuacates.  We  were  sorry  to  leave  the  village  of  Cha- 
mula to  one  side,  but  lack  of  time  forbade  our  visiting  it. 
It  was  amusing  to  note  the  terror  of  our  arriero  on  the  road. 
Until  we  passed  Cancuc,  he  was  constantly  expecting  attack 
from  the  dreadful  indians  of  Chamula,  Tenejapa,  and 
Cancuc,  telling  us  that  such  attacks  might  be  expected  at 
any  time,  but  particularly  in  the  early  morning  and  in  the 
dusk  of  evening.  What  indians  we  met  were  most  gentle, 
and  answered  our  salutations  with  apparent  kindness. 
After  a  long  journey  on  the  high,  smooth  road,  we  finally 


37* 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


began  descending  into  a  pretty  valley,  and  soon  saw  the 
great  town  of  Tenejapa,  below  us,  on  a  space  almost  as 
level  as  a  floor,  neatly  laid  out,  and  still  decked  with 
the  arches  erected  for  a  recent  fiesta.  The  agente  of  the 
town  had  been  warned  of  our  coming,  by  telephone  from 
the  jefatura,  and  received  us  warmly,  a  little  before  one 
o'clock,  giving  us  a  large  and  comfortable  room  in  the 
municipal  building,  supplied  with  chairs  and  benches,  and 
a  table,  though  without  beds  or  mats.  We  were  here  de- 
layed by  the  slowness  of  the  old  man,  who  had  been  furn- 
ished at  San  Cristobal  for  carrying  our  instruments.  By 
three  o'clock,  all  was  ready,  and  the  twenty-five  women 
were  summoned.  They  gave  no  kind  of  trouble,  and  by 
six  o'clock  the  work  was  done.  Women  here  braid  their 
hair  in  two  braids,  which  are  wrapped  about  closely  with 
cords,  making  them  look  like  red  ropes;  these  are  then 
wound  around  the  head  and  picturesquely  fastened.  The 
huipils  of  cotton  are  short,  and  decorated  with  scattered 
designs,  worked  in  color,  and  loosely  arranged  in  trans- 
verse bands.  Belts  are  of  wool,  red  in  color,  and  broad, 
but  not  long.  Over  their  shoulders  the  women  wear, 
particularly  in  cool  weather,  a  red  and  blue  striped  cotton 
shawl  or  wrap.  The  red  worn  —  whether  in  belts,  wraps, 
or  hair-strings — is  all  of  one  shade,  a  dull  crimson-red.  As 
night  fell,  dozens  of  little  bonfires  were  lighted  in  the  plaza, 
made  from  cobwork  piles  of  fat-pine.  People  were  already 
gathering  from  other  pueblos  for  market,  and  many  of 
them  slept  through  the  night  in  the  open  market-place. 
The  band  played  a  mournful  piece,  repeatedly,  during  the 
evening,  and  some  rockets  were  fired  —  no  doubt,  the  tailing- 
off  of  the  late  fiesta. 

Market  had  begun  in  the  morning,  as  we  prepared  to 
leave,  but  the  great  plaza  was  not  more  than  half-full,  and 
there  was  little  that  was  characteristic.    Noteworthy,  how- 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS 


ever,  were  the  great  loaves  of  salt  made  at  Ixtapa;  about  the 
size  of  old-fashioned  sugar-loaves,  they  were  shaped  in 
rush-mats,  and  showed  the  marks  of  the  matting  on  their 
surface;  saws  were  used  to  cut  off  pieces  for  purchasers. 
The  agente  said  that  it  was  not  good,  being  mixed  with 
earth  or  sand.  He,  himself,  came  from  the  neighborhood 
of  Tapachula,  where  quantities  of  salt  are  made  from  the 
lagoon  water.  The  salt-water  and  the  salt-soaked  earth 
from  the  bottom  of  the  lagoon  are  put  into  vats  and  leached, 
and  the  resulting  saline  is  boiled  in  ovens,  each  of  which 
contains  an  olla.  The  industry  is  conducted  by  ladinos, 
as  well  as  indians,  but  the  salt  is  poor. 

It  was  8:45  when  we  started,  and  almost  immediately 
we  began  a  hard  climb  over  limestone,  giving  a  severe  test 
to  our  poor  animals.  At  the  summit  we  found  a  group  of 
indian  carriers,  who,  as  usual,  stopped  at  the  pass  to  rest 
and  look  upon  the  landscape.  The  view  was  really  beau- 
tiful, the  little  town  lying  in  a  curious,  level  valley,  which 
was  encircled  by  an  abrupt  slope,  and  which  had  been 
excavated  from  an  almost  level  plateau.  For  some  time, 
we  followed  this  high  level,  but  finally  plunged  down  into 
a  deep  gully,  where  our  road  passed  away  to  the  left  in  a 
dry  gorge,  while  to  the  right,  the  valley  deepened  abruptly 
by  a  great  vertical  wall.  When  we  reached  the  point  of 
sudden  deepening,  in  the  gorge  below,  we  saw  water,  burst- 
ing in  volume  from  the  cliff's  base.  Dismounting  from  our 
horses,  and  climbing  down,  we  found  a  magnificent  arch 
of  limestone  over  the  emerging  stream,  the  water  of  which 
was  fresh  and  cold,  and  clear  as  crystal.  The  shallow  por- 
tion of  the  valley  marks  the  ancient  level  of  the  stream. 
In  some  past  time,  the  stream  had  sunk,  cutting  a  subter- 
ranean channel  under  its  old  bed,  which  was  left  high  and 
dry.  The  deep  part  of  the  valley  may  be  due  to  the  falling 
of  the  roof  of  rock  above  the  subterranean  stream.  Fol 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


lowing  up  the  ancient  valley,  we  presently  turned  into  one 
of  its  old  tributary  gorges,  coming  out  into  a  country  well- 
wooded  with  pines  and  oaks.  The  whole  country  here- 
abouts is  composed  of  monoclines,  all  the  crests  presenting 
one  long,  gentle  slope,  with  rocks  dipping  with  the  slope, 
and  one  abrupt  short  slope,  cutting  the  strata.  The  roads, 
for  the  most  part,  follow  along  the  edge  of  these  monoclines, 
making  them  unsually  long,  though  easy.  The  rocks  over 
which  we  passed  were  an  olive  shaly-sandstone,  with  nota- 
ble concentric  weathering,  limestone,  and  here  and  there, 
red  sandstone,  abundantly  green-spotted.  Indians,  every- 
where, were  burning  over  fields,  preparatory  to  planting; 
while  the  day  was  clear,  the  smoke  rose  in  clouds,  and  at 
many  places  we  suffered  from  these  field  fires.  Twice  we 
passed  a  point  just  as  the  flames  leaped  from  one  side  of  the 
road  to  the  other,  and  rode  between  two  lines  of  blaze. 
The  fire,  burning  green  branches  and  stalks,  caused  thou- 
sands of  loud  explosions,  like  the  rattle  of  musketry. 

Long  before  we  were  near  it,  we  caught  sight  of  Cancuc, 
the  beautiful,  perched  upon  its  lofty  crest.  In  San  Cristobal, 
our  journey  had  been  matter  of  conversation  among  the 
mestizos  and  many  and  dire  predictions  had  been  made. 
"Ah,  yes,  it  is  easy  for  these  gentlemen  to  do  this  work  here 
in  the  cabecera,  but  let  them  get  to  Tenejapa,  and  Cancuc  — 
there  it  will  be  another  matter;  they  will  be  killed  upon  the 
journey;  if  they  reach  Cancuc,  they  will  never  leave  the 
town  alive."  The  town  is  built  on  the  edge  of  a  ridge, 
which  drops  in  both  directions,  leaving  barely  room  for  the 
placing  of  houses.  From  it,  we  looked  out  in  every  direc- 
tion over  a  magnificent  landscape.  Cancuc  is  famous  for 
the  insurrection  of  1712.  Curiously,  like  the  outbreak  at 
Chamula  in  1868,  it  was  due  to  the  visions  and  religious 
influence  of  a  girl.  Maria  Candaleria  was  the  centre  and 
impulse  of  the  whole  movement.    Dr.  Brinton  has  thrown 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS  375 


the  incident,  which  abounded  in  picturesque  details,  and 
which  caused  the  Spanish  government  great  difficulty,  into 
a  little  drama,  which  bears  the  name  of  the  inspired  priestess. 

We  were  now  within  the  district  of  my  friend  Valencia. 
Two  years  ago,  when  we  passed  through  the  country  of  the 
Mixes,  he  was  the  jeje  politico  of  the  District  of  Yau tepee; 
he  had  been  transferred  to  this  state  and  this  district,  with 
his  cabecera  at  Ocosingo.  That  town  lay  far  from  our  course, 
and  we  had  written  Senor  Valencia,  that  we  planned  to  pass 
through  his  district,  but  had  not  time  to  visit  the  cabecera. 
We  named  the  towns  through  which  we  planned  to  pass, 
and  begged  him  to  send  orders  directly  to  the  local  authori- 
ties, instead  of  trying  to  communicate  with  us.  This  he 
had  done  promptly,  and  during  our  stay  in  his  district, 
everything  was  done  for  us  without  delay.  The  agente  at 
Cancuc  is  a  new  official,  but  a  man  of  sense,  and  sympathy 
for  the  indians,  among  whom  he  lives.  We  arrived  at  half- 
past  three  and  had  our  mozo  been  on  time,  might  have  done 
some  work.  The  agente  showed  us  the  historic  picture  in 
the  old  church;  it  is  the  portrait  of  a  clergyman,  whose 
influence  did  much  to  quell  the  insurrection  in  1713.  More 
interesting  to  us  than  the  old  picture,  were  groups  of  indians, 
kneeling  and  praying.  When  they  knelt,  they  touched  their 
foreheads  and  faces  to  the  ground,  which  they  saluted  with 
a  kiss.  Having  assumed  the  attitude  of  prayer,  they  were 
oblivious  to  all  around  them,  and,  curiously,  their  prayers 
were  in  the  native  language.  The  town-house  was  placed  at 
the  disposition  of  our  party,  but  the  agente's  bed,  in  his 
own  house,  was  given  to  me.  As  I  sat  writing  at  the  table 
in  his  room,  the  whole  town  government  —  a  dozen  or  so 
in  number  —  stalked  in.  Most  of  them  wore  the  heavy 
black  chamaras  made  by  the  Chamula  indians.  These 
were  so  long  that  they  almost  swept  the  ground.  The  faces 
of  the  men  were  dark  and  wild,  and  their  hair  hung  in 


376 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


great  black  shocks  down  upon  their  shoulders  and  backs. 
In  their  hands  they  held  their  long  official  staves.  Advanc- 
ing to  the  table  where  I  sat,  in  the  order  of  their  rank,  they 
saluted  me,  kissing  my  hand;  arranging  themselves  in  a 
half-circle  before  my  table,  the  presidente  placed  before  me 
a  bowl  filled  with  eggs,  each  wrapped  in  corn-husks,  while 
the  first  alcalde  deposited  a  cloth  filled  with  a  high  pile  of 
hot  tortillas;  a  speech  was  made  in  Tzendal,  which  was 
translated  by  the  second  official,  in  which  they  told  me  that 
they  appreciated  our  visit;  it  gave  them  pleasure  that  such 
important  persons  should  come  from  such  a  distance  to 
investigate  the  life  and  manners  of  their  humble  town; 
they  trusted  that  our  errand  might  be  entirely  to  our  wishes, 
and  that,  in  leaving,  we  might  bear  with  us  a  pleasant 
memory.  They  begged  us  to  accept  the  poor  presents  they 
had  brought,  while  they  assured  us  that,  in  them,  we  had 
our  thousand  most  obedient  servants.  And  this  in  Cancuc 
—  the  town  where  we  were  to  have  met  our  death !  At 
night,  the  fires  on  a  hundred  hills  around  us  made  a  magnifi- 
cent display,  forming  all  sorts  of  fantastic  combinations  and 
outlines.  In  the  evening,  the  son  of  the  agente,  who  had 
been  to  Tenango  with  a  friend,  came  home  in  great  excitement. 
He  was  a  lively  young  fellow  of  eighteen  years.  At  the 
river-crossing,  where  they  arrived  at  five  in  the  evening, 
a  black  cow,  standing  in  the  river,  scared  their  horses  so  that 
they  could  not  make  them  cross;  the  boy  emptied  his 
revolver  at  the  animal,  but  with  no  effect;  it  was  clearly  a 
vaca  bruja  —  witch  cow;  an  hour  and  a  half  was  lost  before 
they  succeeded  in  getting  their  horses  past  with  a  rush. 

The  morning  was  spent  in  making  pictures.  While 
still  in  Yucatan,  we  heard  about  the  music  of  Cancuc,  and 
among  our  views  was  one  of  the  musicians.  These  are 
three  in  number,  and  they  head  processions  at  fiestas;  the 
drum,  like  that  we  saw  at  Tuxtla,  is  cylindrical,  with  two 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS  377 


heads;  the  pito  is  the  usual  reed  whistle;  the  tortuga,  a 
large  turtle-shell,  was  brought  from  Palenque;  it  is  hung 
by  a  belt  to  the  player,  and  is  beaten  on  the  lower  side  with 
two  leg-bones  of  a  deer.  The  Cancuc  dress  is  simple. 
Men  wear  the  breech-clout,  and,  when  they  carry  burdens, 
little  else;  at  other  times,  they  wear  short,  cotton  trousers 
which  hardly  reach  the  knees.  The  chief  garment  is  a  ca- 
misa,  of  native  cotton,  with  a  colored  stitching  at  the  neck 
and  along  the  seam  where  the  two  edges  join;  this  camisa 
is  of  such  length  that,  when  girded,  it  hangs  just  to,  or  a  little 
below,  the  lower  edge  of  the  trouser  leg.  The  belts  are 
home- woven,  but  are  made  of  cotton  which  is  bought 
already  dyed  a  brilliant  red  or  yellow.  Women  wear  woolen 
belts  made  by  Chamulas;  their  enaguas  are  plain,  dull  blue 
in  color;  their  huipils  are  a  dirty  white,  with  a  minimum 
of  colored  stitching.  The  chief  industry  at  Cancuc  is 
raising  pigs  for  market. 

At  1:15  we  started  from  the  town,  and  rode  down  the 
crest  of  long,  gently-sloping  ridges,  which  seemed  intermin- 
able. The  rock  over  which  we  passed  was  red  sandstone, 
mottled  and  streaked  with  green,  red  shale,  and  occasional 
patches  of  conglomerate.  Crossing  a  little  stream  by  a 
pretty  bridge,  we  made  an  abrupt  ascent,  and  soon  saw  the 
little  town,  Cuaquitepec,  at  the  base  of  the  opposite  hill. 

We  met  many  indians  carrying  great  ovoidal  jars  which 
were  made  at  Tenango,  and  which  are  chiefly  used  for  carry- 
ing chicha.  This  is  a  fermented  drink,  made  from  the  sap 
of  sugar-cane,  and  is  much  used  throughout  this  state  and 
the  adjoining  parts  of  Central  America.  We  inquired 
of  a  girl  who  carried  such  a  vessel,  what  she  had,  and  asked 
to  try  it.  She  gave  us  a  sip  in  a  wee  gourd-vessel,  holding 
less  than  a  wine-glass.  Knowing  nothing  of  the  price  of 
chicha,  we  gave  her  six  centavos,  with  which  she  seemed  well 
satisfied.    A  little  later,  deciding  to  test  the  drink  again.. 


37» 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


we  stopped  a  man,  who  had  a  vessel  of  it,  and  again  were 
given  the  little  cup.  On  stating  that  we  wished  a  centavo's 
worth,  we  were  much  surprised  to  have  him  fill  a  great 
jicara  for  the  price  mentioned.  It  seems  the  little  vessel  is 
carried  only  for  sampling,  and  that  a  sale  is  made  only  after 
the  purchaser  has  approved  the  quality. 

Reaching  Cuaquitepec  at  five,  we  rode  up  to  the  town- 
house,  that  the  authorities  might  know  that  we  had  passed. 
The  place  is  small  and  dwindling;  there  are  relatively  many 
ladinos,  and  few  indians.  They  were  expecting  us,  and 
seemed  disappointed  at  our  refusal  to  stop.  The  shell  of 
the  old  church,  almost  ready  to  fall,  suggested  past  magnifi- 
cence. The  little  modern  structure,  at  its  side,  is  suited  to 
the  present  needs.  We  were  vexed  at  the  wanton  sacrifice 
of  a  great  tree,  which  had  stood  near  the  town-house,  but 
whose  giant  trunk  was  prostrate,  and  stripped  of  its  branches. 
A  man  on  foot  showed  us  the  road  beyond  the  town,  and  it 
was  moonlight  before  we  reached  Citala,  where  we  planned 
to  sleep.  Of  the  town  itself,  we  know  nothing.  The  old 
church  is  decaying,  but  in  its  best  days  must  have  been 
magnificent.  The  presidente  was  absent,  but  his  wife,  an 
active,  bustling  intelligent  ladino,  expected  us,  and  did  every- 
thing possible  for  our  comfort.  Eggs,  beans,  tortillas  and 
coffee  made  up  the  supper.  A  room,  containing  a  bed  for 
me,  and  petates  on  the  floor  for  my  companions,  was  waiting. 
When  a  light  was  struck  more  than  a  dozen  great  cockroaches 
were  seen  running  over  the  wall,  none  of  them  less  than 
two  inches  and  a  half  in  length,  and  of  the  most  brilliant 
orange  and  dark  brown.  In  the  morning,  a  fine  chicken 
breakfast  was  promptly  ready,  and  the  woman  had  sum- 
moned a  cargador  to  be  ready  for  our  starting.  She  said 
that  in  this  town  there  is  a  considerable  indian  population, 
and  that  these  Tzendals  are  tall  and  strongly-built,  in  com- 
parison with  those  of  Cuaquitepec,  and  other  neighboring 


/ 


Indian  Carriers  Resting 


Driving  Pigs,  near  Cancuc 


TZOTZILS  AND  TZENDALS 


towns.  She  regretted  that  we  could  not  wait  until  her 
husband  came,  as  she  had  sent  him  word  of  our  arrival,  and 
was  expecting  him.  We  assured  her  that  she  had  done 
everything  which  he  could  possibly  have  done,  had  he  been 
present,  and  that  we  should,  with  pleasure,  report  our 
satisfaction  to  the  jefe. 

The  cargador  whom  she  supplied,  was  a  comfort,  after 
the  wretched  sluggards  whom  we  had  lately  had.  With 
our  instruments  upon  his  shoulders,  he  trotted,  like  a  faithful 
dog,  directly  at  our  side,  from  start  to  finish,  never  showing 
the  least  weariness  or  sense  of  burden.  Both  foot  mozos 
and  arrieros  through  this  district  carry  a  mass  of  posole  with 
them  on  a  journey.  Unlike  that  which  Eustasio  and  his 
Zapotec  companions  carried,  the  mass  here  is  pure  corn, 
white  and  moist,  being  kept  wrapped  in  fresh  banana 
leaves;  at  every  brookside,  a  jicara  of  fresh  water  is  dipped, 
and  a  handful  of  posole  is  squeezed  up  in  it  till  thoroughly 
mixed,  when  it  is  drunk.  It  tastes  a  little  sour,  and  is 
refreshing.  At  n  115,  we  passed  the  bridge  over  the  stream 
on  which  Chilon  is  built,  and  a  moment  later  drew  up  at 
the  town-house.  Here  we  regretted  that  our  serious  work 
with  the  Tzendals  was  done.  We  were  received  royally, 
and  told  that  our  house  was  ready.  This  was  really  so,  a 
pretty  little  house  of  three  good  rooms  having  been  cleaned 
and  prepared  for  our  use.  We  lay  down  and  napped  until 
the  good  dinner,  which  had  been  started  when  we  had  first 
been  seen  upon  the  road,  and  some  time  before  we  reached 
the  village,  was  ready.  Sitting  on  the  porch  of  our  little 
house,  and  looking  out  over  bushes,  full  of  roses,  in  the  garden 
before  us,  we  rested  until  the  greatest  heat  of  the  day  was 
past,  when  we  started,  and  pushed  on  over  the  three 
leagues  that  lay  between  us  and  Yajalon,  where  we  arrived 
at  near  sunset.  The  town  is  large,  and,  in  great  part,  indian. 
The  women  dressed  more  gaily  than  in  any  other  Tzendal 


380  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 

town  which  we  have  seen;  their  huipils  were  decorated 
with  a  mass  of  bright  designs,  worked  in  colored  wools  or 
silk.  Here  we  saw  our  first  Choi,  a  carrier,  passing  through 
the  village  with  his  load ;  in  order  to  make  a  start  upon  our 
final  tribe,  we  had  him  halted,  to  take  his  measurements  and 
picture.  At  this  town,  we  stopped  at  a  sort  of  boarding-house, 
or  traveller's-rest,  close  by  the  town-house,  kept  by  a  widow 
with  several  children.  We  impressed  upon  this  good 
woman  the  necessity  of  having  breakfast  without  fail  at  five 
o'clock,  as  we  wished  to  make  an  early  start,  stopping  at 
Hidalgo  for  work  during  the  hotter  portion  of  the  day,  and 
pressing  on  to  Tumbala  at  night.  The  poor  creature 
kept  me  awake  all  night,  making  her  preparations  for  the 
meal,  which  was  to  be  a  masterpiece  of  culinary  art,  and  at 
four  o'clock  routed  us  all  out  with  the  report  that  breakfast 
was  waiting  on  the  table.    It  was  a  turkey-breakfast,  too. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


CHOLS 


(1901) 


F  course,  after  such  a  start,  we  were  delayed  in 


getting  the  animals  ready  for  the  journey,  and  the 
sun  had  been  up  full  half  an  hour  when  we  left.  It  was 
a  short  ride  to  Hidalgo,  which  lies  prettily  in  a  small,  flat 
valley,  on  a  good-sized  stream.  We  were  doubtful  about 
our  reception,  for  Yajalon  was  the  last  town  in  Valencia;s 
district,  and  we  had  no  documents  to  present  to  the  town 
officials,  until  we  should  reach  El  Salto,  the  cabecera,  except 
our  general  letter  from  Governor  Lopez.  It  is  true  that 
the  presidente  of  Yajalon,  at  our  request,  had  telephoned 
Hidalgo  that  we  came  highly  recommended,  and  that  every- 
thing possible  must  be  done  for  our  assistance.  The  agente 
was  an  old  man,  suffering  from  headache,  who  showed  but 
listless  interest  in  our  work.  In  a  general  way,  he  gave 
us  his  endorsement,  and  we,  therefore,  took  the  manage- 
ment into  our  own  hands.  He  had  kept  the  people  in 
town,  so  that  we  had  subjects,  though  fewer  than  we  had 
hoped.  We  measured  twenty-seven  men,  and  there  were 
really  no  more  in  the  town,  the  rest  being  away  on  fincas. 
The  men  gave  us  no  trouble,  but  the  women  were  another 
matter.  Several  times  we  issued  orders  that  they  be  brought 
to  the  town-house  for  measurement,  and  each  time,  after 
an  effort  to  obey  our  orders,  we  were  told  that  they  would 
not  come.  "Very  good,"  said  I,  "if  they  will  not  come,  it 
is  plain  that  we  must  go  and  measure  them  in  their  houses." 
Accompanied  by  the  town  government,  we  started  on  our 


382 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


rounds.  The  first  house  was  tightly  closed,  and  no  reply 
was  made  to  our  demands  for  entrance.  The  second  was 
the  same;  one  might  imagine  that  it  had  been  deserted  for 
weeks.  At  the  third,  the  door  was  opened,  and  within,  an 
aged  woman,  ugly,  bent,  decrepit.  Here  we  measured. 
The  next  house,  and  the  next,  and  the  next,  were  shut. 
And  then  another  open  house  contained  another  veritable 
hag.  Passing  several  other  houses,  tightly  closed,  we  found 
a  third  old  woman,  and  I  saw  that  we  were  destined  to 
secure  nothing  but  decrepit  hags,  as  representatives  of  the  fair 
sex.  At  the  next  closed  house,  I  stopped,  and  turning  to  an 
official,  who  spoke  Spanish,  said,  "  I  am  tired  of  these  closed 
houses;  who  owns  this  house?  "  His  name  was  given,  and 
I  wrote  it  down.  "Very  well,"  said  I,  "I  shall  recommend 
to  the  jeje  of  the  district,  when  I  reach  El  Salto,  that  he  be 
made  to  pay  a  fine  of  five  pesos."  At  this,  the  town  officials 
gasped,  but  we  walked  to  the  next  house,  which  was  also 
closed.  "Who  owns  this  house?"  And  down  went  a 
second  name.  By  the  time  I  had  three  names  of  owners 
of  closed  houses  on  my  paper,  the  officials  held  a  hasty 
whispered  consultation;  then  coming  to  me,  they  begged 
me  to  excuse  them  for  a  moment,  as  the  secretario  would 
accompany  me  upon  my  round,  and  they  would  soon  rejoin 
us.  With  this,  they  disappeared,  and  we  entered  another 
old  woman's  house.  When  we  emerged,  a  wonderful 
change  had  taken  place;  every  house  in  the  village  had  its 
door  wide  open,  and  in  the  doorway  were  to  be  seen  any- 
where from  one  to  three  or  four  ladies  of  all  ages.  From 
this  time  on,  there  was  no  lack  of  women,  and  the  twenty- 
five  were  promptly  measured. 

We  had  picked  out  our  subjects  for  modeling  before  we 
started  on  our  rounds  to  measure  women;  and  had  left 
Ramon  in  charge  of  that  part  of  our  work,  staying  only 
long  enough  to  see  him  make  the  mould  of  the  first  subject. 


CHOLS 


3*3 


This  was  an  indian,  named  Juan,  the  first  alcalde  of  the 
village.  We  had  carefully  explained  the  operation  to  our 
subjects;  we  had  described  in  detail  the  sensations  and  emo- 
tions connected  with  the  thing,  and  thought  we  had  the 
subjects  well  prepared.  When  Juan  began,  he  seemed  to 
have  good  courage,  but  we  told  a  young  fellow,  who  sat  near 
and  understood  Spanish,  that  he  should  tell  the  man  certain 
encouraging  things  which  we  repeated  to  him.  The  trans- 
lation was  promptly  done,  and  we  were  therefore  much 
surprised  to  see  our  subject's  confidence  gradually  give 
way  to  terror.  While  we  were  applying  the  first  mould, 
he  began  to  sob  and  cry  like  a  child;  this  was,  however, 
nothing  compared  with  the  abject  terror  and  sorrow  which 
he  displayed  while  we  were  making  the  face-mould.  The 
tears  flowed  from  his  eyes;  he  sobbed,  cried  aloud,  and  we 
could  see  the  thumping  of  his  heart  against  his  chest.  We 
had  never  had  a  subject  who  took  the  matter  so  hardly. 
When  the  operation  was  completed,  we  learned  the  cause 
of  all  this  trouble.  Our  interpreter  turned  out  to  be  a 
joker,  and,  while  we  were  telling  him  encouraging  remarks, 
with  which  to  soothe  the  subject,  he  was  saying,  "Now  you 
will  die;  pretty  soon  you  will  not  be  able  to  breathe  any 
more;  you  will  be  dead  and  buried  before  to-morrow;  your 
poor  widow  will  no  doubt  feel  badly,  but  probably  she  will 
find  another  quite  as  good  as  you."  We  had  always  real- 
ized the  possibility  of  such  misinterpretations,  but,  so  far 
as  we  know,  this  was  the  only  time  that  our  interpreter 
ever  played  us  false. 

On  our  return  from  measuring  the  women,  we  found  that 
Ramon  had  made  no  progress.  The  three  subjects,  whom 
we  had  selected  and  left  in  his  charge,  under  strenuous 
orders,  had  taken  fright  at  Juan's  experience  and  fled. 
We  lost  two  hours  in  hunting  them  and  bringing  them  in; 
and  we  should  not  have  succeeded  then,  had  it  not  been  for 


384  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


Juan's  assistance.  He  seemed  to  feel  that,  having  under- 
gone the  operation,  it  might  ease  his  position,  and  decrease 
possible  danger,  if  he  had  companions  in  misery.  Finally, 
at  4:30,  long  after  the  hour  we  had  set,  we  left  for  Tum- 
bala.  We  secured  six  cargadors  —  one  each  for  the  four 
moulds,  one  for  the  instruments,  and  one  for  the  remaining 
plaster, — as  our  pack-animals  had  long  since  passed.  Five 
of  them  were  left  to  follow  at  their  leisure,  on  condition  that 
they  reach  Tumbala  early  the  next  morning,  but  the  sixth, 
a  wee  old  man,  who  had  helped  us  woman-hunting,  went 
with  us,  by  his  own  request,  to  carry  the  instruments.  He 
was  so  small  that  we  did  not  believe  he  could  carry  the 
burden,  but  he  made  no  sort  of  trouble  about  it,  trotting 
along  most  happily.  We  had  been  told  that  the  road  was 
pura  subida  —  pure  ascent  —  and  so  we  found  it.  We  were 
soon  in  the  tropical  forest  of  the  Chinantla,  and  the  land 
of  the  Mixes,  with  begonias,  tree-ferns,  bromelias,  and 
orchids.  Here  and  there,  were  bad  bits  of  road,  deep  mud, 
slippery  stones,  irregular  limestone  masses.  It  was  dark 
before  we  reached  Tumbala,  and  although  there  was  a 
moon,  the  mists  were  so  dense  that  it  did  little  good. 
Arriving  at  6:45,  we  found  the  town  a  wretched  place, 
with  a  worthless  and  nerveless  agente.  This  was  once  the 
largest  of  the  Choi  towns,  and  we  had  thought  to  do  the 
bulk  of  our  work  there.  It  is  fortunate,  indeed,  that  we 
stopped  at  Hidalgo,  because  Tumbala  is  now  completely 
ruined  by  the  contract-labor  system,  which  has  sent  its  men 
all  through  the  country  onto  fincas.  The  agente  would 
probably  have  done  nothing  for  us,  but  his  little  daughter, 
much  impressed  by  our  letter  from  the  governor,  took  an 
active  interest  in  our  welfare,  promised  to  prepare  a  dinner, 
and  decided  him  to  give  us  sleeping-quarters  in  a  store-room 
in  the  building.  He  thawed  a  little  after  we  had  eaten, 
but  spoke  discouragingly  regarding  the  possibility  of  work- 


The  Toro;  Frame  and  Bearer;  El  Triunfo 


Playing  Toro;  El  Triunfo 


CHOLS 


385 


ing  there.  He  said  we  would  do  well  to  go  to  El  Triunfo; 
that  it  would  take  two  days  to  find  indians  and  bring  them 
to  the  town;  that  there  were  no  animals,  nothing  to  eat, 
no  conveniences  in  Tumbala,  in  all  of  which  he  probably 
was  quite  correct.  Our  arrieros  had  contracted  only  to 
this  point  from  San  Cristobal.  We  urged  them  to  make 
the  further  journey,  and  offered  them  a  price  much  above 
the  regular,  but  they  wanted  to  be  back  in  San  Cristobal 
for  Holy  Week,  and  assured  us  that  the  roads  ahead  were 
the  worst  that  could  be  imagined,  and  that  they  ran  the 
risk  of  killing  all  their  animals  if  they  went  with  us. 

As  we  were  on  the  road,  a  little  before  we  reached  Tum- 
bala, we  found  a  company  of  indian  boys  making  camp 
for  the  night.  Calling  to  us,  they  said  that  Don  Enrique 
had  told  them  if  they  saw  us  on  the  road,  to  say  that  we 
should  keep  straight  on  to  El  Triunfo,  as  he  had  a  mes- 
sage for  us.  We  had  never  heard  of  Don  Enrique,  and 
thought  there  was  some  error,  but  after  supper,  the  agente 
handed  us  a  letter  which  had  come  that  afternoon  from  the 
gentleman  in  question.  In  it  we  read:  "Sir:  Mr.  Ells- 
worth, of  the  Rio  Michol  Rubber  Co.,  Sal  to,  asked  me  by 
telephone  to  tell  you  that  he  will  be  waiting  for  you  the 
4th  of  April  in  La  Cruzada,  and  hopes  that  you  will  kindly 
accompany  Mrs.  Ellsworth  as  far  as  Mexico,  and  that,  in 
case  she  would  not  find  a  steamer  in  Frontera,  he  is  going 
to  charter  one.  Hoping  to  see  you  here  in  Triunfo,  and 
waiting  for  an  answer  to  La  Cruzada,  I  remain,  Yours 
truly,  H.  Rau."  This  was  a  gleam  of  light  amid  our  dark 
affairs.  There  we  were,  with  all  our  baggage  and  instru- 
ments, but  without  carriers,  deserted  by  our  arrieros,  and 
with  no  opportunity  in  Tumbala  to  secure  new  animals  or 
helpers;  it  was  like  the  voice  of  a  friend,  to  receive  this 
English  letter  from  El  Triunfo,  and  we  felt  that,  if  worst 
came  to  worst,  Don  Enrique  might  help  us  out. 


386 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


The  room  in  which  we  slept  was  filled  with  stored  stuff 
and  two  tables.  On  one  of  these  I  made  my  bed,  while 
my  companions  spread  a  large  petate  on  the  floor,  and  our 
little  indian  carrier  put  down  a  small  one  for  himself,  as 
he  declared  he  should  not  leave  us  until  morning.  He  had 
a  good  supper,  and  in  a  fit  of  generosity,  presented  Louis 
with  what  was  left  of  his  package  of  posole.  With  much 
enthusiasm,  he  told  us  of  an  "animal"  which  he  had  seen 
and  tried  to  catch  upon  the  road.  From  his  description, 
it  appeared  to  be  an  armadillo.  Before  he  lay  down  on  his 
petate,  he  kissed  my  hand,  wished  me  a  good  night's  rest, 
and  asked  my  good-night  blessing  He  was  happy  in 
possession  of  a  reaVs  worth  of  aguardiente,  from  which,  at 
intervals  during  the  night,  he  drank.  Early  in  the  morn- 
ing, he  opened  the  door,  and,  looking  out,  crossed  himself, 
and  repeated  his  morning  prayer.  He  then  came  to  Ta- 
tita  (little  father)  to  receive  his  morning's  blessing,  and  hoped 
that  I  had  passed  a  good  night  in  slumber.  He  then 
brought  me  a  jicara  of  cool,  fresh  water,  after  which  he 
urged  me  to  take  a  sip  from  his  dear  bottle.  Going  outside 
a  little  time,  he  returned  with  two  roses,  heavy  with  dew 
and  very  fragrant,  and  gave  them  to  me  as  if  they  were  a 
gift  for  kings.  Very  soon,  however,  his  potations  got  the 
better  of  him,  and  bidding  us  a  fond  farewell,  he  started 
for  Hidalgo. 

It  was  my  day  of  fever,  and  I  spent  the  greater  portion 
of  the  morning  on  my  hard  bed,  getting  up  from  time  to 
time  to  try  to  move  the  agente  to  procure  an  animal,  on 
which  I  might  make  the  journey  to  El  Triunfo.  Finally, 
in  despair,  after  difficulty  in  securing  a  foot-messenger,  I 
sent  a  letter  to  Don  Enrique,  asking  him  to  send  an  animal 
for  my  use.  During  the  afternoon,  a  fine  mule  and  a  letter 
came  from  El  Triunfo.  "Sir:  The  boy  brought  me  your 
letter,  and  I  send  you  a  good  mule  for  yourself,  so  we  shall 


CHOLS 


387 


talk  all  the  rest  when  you  shall  get  here.  If  you  need  more 
pack-mules  I  will  send  them  afterwards,  as  soon  as  you  tell 
me  how  many  you  need.  Hoping  to  see  you  this  afternoon, 
I  remain,  Yours  very  truly,  Henry  Rau."  The  road  was 
down  hill,  and  there  were  but  two  or  three  bad  spots.  I 
rode  through  tropical  forests,  the  whole  distance,  with  high 
trees,  bound  together  with  a  mass  of  vines,  and  loaded  with 
parasitic  or  aerial  plants.  Here  and  there,  rose  the  largest 
tree-ferns  I  have  ever  seen.  I  was  not  in  the  best  mood, 
however,  for  enjoying  the  journey,  and  the  hour-and-a- 
quarter  seemed  like  much  more.  The  great  coffee  finca 
of  El  Triunfo  occupied  an  irregular  valley,  the  slopes  of 
which  were  covered  with  thousands  of  coffee-trees,  with 
their  magnificent  dark  green  leaves  and  sweet-scented, 
white  flowers.  Three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  trees 
made  up  the  plantation,  which  was  one  of  two  owned  and 
managed  by  Senor  Rau.  The  house  was  large,  and  rather 
pretentious,  two  stories  in  height,  with  buildings  for  clean- 
ing, packing  and  storing  coffee  on  the  same  terrace,  and 
with  a  veritable  village  of  houses  for  the  indian  workmen 
down  below.  I  received  a  warm  reception  from  the  Senor 
and  his  household,  who  have  established  here  a  veritable 
bit  of  Germany  in  tropical  America.  Not  only  was  I  my- 
self cared  for,  but  I  was  urged  to  make  no  haste  in  going 
further,  as  no  steamer  would  go  from  La  Cruzada  before  the 
4th,  and  it  would  be  easy  to  reach  that  place  in  twenty-four 
hours.  So,  for  several  days  the  hospitable  plantation-house 
was  my  home.  Great  lines  of  mules  were  constantly  going 
from  here,  through  to  El  Salto  and  La  Cruzada,  with  loads 
of  coffee,  and  coming  back  with  provisions,  and  the  many 
supplies  necessary  for  an  establishment  of  this  importance. 
When  the  next  mulada  should  appear,  animals  would  be 
sent  to  Tumbala  for  my  companions  and  the  luggage. 
Curiously,  none  came  for  two  whole  days  —  a  very  unusual 


388 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


occurrence  —  and  the  boys  remained  prisoners  in  that 
dreary  town  for  all  that  time.  For  my  own  part,  I  was 
thankful  to  reach  a  place  where  a  comfortable  bed  and 
certain  meals  were  to  be  counted  on.  My  fever  left  me, 
but  the  following  morning  I  found  myself  suffering  from 
swollen  jaws;  every  tooth  was  loose  and  sore,  and  it  was 
difficult  to  chew  even  the  flesh  of  bananas;  this  difficulty 
I  had  lately  suffered,  whenever  in  the  moist  mountain  dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania,  and  I  feared  that  there  would  be 
no  relief  until  I  was  permanently  out  of  the  district  of 
forest-grown  mountains.  Nor  was  I  mistaken,  for  ten 
days  passed,  and  we  had  reached  the  dry  central  table- 
and  of  Mexico,  before  my  suffering  ended.  One  day, 
while  we  were  on  the  finca,  considerable  excitement  was 
caused  by  one  of  the  indians  working  in  the  field  being 
bitten  by  a  poisonous  serpent.  The  man  was  brought 
at  once  to  the  house,  and  remedies  were  applied  which 
prevented  serious  results,  although  his  leg  swelled  badly. 
The  serpent  was  killed,  and  measured  about  five  feet  in 
length,  having  much  the  general  appearance  of  a  rattle- 
snake, but  with  no  rattles.  Don  Enrique  says  that  the 
most  dangerous  snake  in  this  district  is  a  little  creature 
more  brightly  colored,  with  a  smaller  head,  which  is  less 
markedly  flat,  and  with  smaller  fangs;  he  showed  us  one 
of  these,  not  more  than  a  foot  in  length,  from  whose  bite 
a  man  on  the  plantation,  a  year  before,  had  died.  In  tell- 
ing us  of  this  event,  he  gave  us  a  suggestion  of  the  working 
of  the  contract-labor  system;  the  man  who  died  owed  one 
hundred  and  forty  pesos  of  work  —  almost  three  years  of 
labor;  the  jefe,  indeed,  had  sent  the  son  to  work  out  the  debt, 
but  the  young  man  soon  ran  away,  and  the  most  diligent 
effort  to  recapture  him  had  failed. 

Perhaps  two  hundred  persons  lived  as  workmen  on  the 
finca  of  El  Triunfo.    They  were,  of  course,  all  indians,  and 


CHOLS 


389 


were  about  evenly  divided  between  Tzendals  and  Chols; 
it  was  impossible  to  gather  them  for  measurement  till  Sunday, 
when  they  all  came  to  the  house  and  the  store.  It  was  a  day 
of  amusement  and  recreation  for  the  laborers,  a  day  when 
all  of  them  —  men,  women,  children  —  drank  quantities  of 
liquor.  It  was  interesting  to  watch  them  as  they  came  up 
to  the  store  to  make  their  little  purchases  for  the  week. 
All  were  in  their  best  clothing,  and  family  groups  presented 
many  interesting  scenes.  On  Sundays  and  fiestas,  they 
play  toro  —  one  man  creeping  into  a  framework  of  light 
canes  covered  with  leather,  meant  to  represent  a  bull,  while 
others  play  the  part  of  bull-fighters.  The  Chols  present 
a  well-marked  type.  They  are  short,  broad-headed  and 
dark-skinned;  their  noses  are  among  the  most  aquiline  in 
Mexico.  Men,  especially  those  of  Tumbala,  have  a  charac- 
teristic mode  of  cropping  the  hair;  that  on  the  back  of  the 
head  is  cut  close,  leaving  the  hair  of  the  forward  third  of  the 
head  longer.  The  men  are  almost  immediately  recognized, 
wherever  met,  by  the  characteristic  camisa,  made  of  white 
cotton,  vertically  striped  with  narrow  lines  of  pink,  which  is 
woven  in  the  Choi  towns,  and  does  not  appear  to  be  used 
by  other  indians. 

The  doors  of  the  hospitable  home  at  El  Triunfo  are  ever 
open,  and  a  day  rarely  passes  without  some  traveller  seeking 
shelter  and  entertainment.  Spaniards,  Mexicans,  Germans, 
Englishmen,  Americans,  all  are  welcome,  and  during  the 
few  days  of  our  stay,  the  house  was  never  free  of  other 
visitors.  Among  these  was  Stanton  Morrison,  famous 
in  Yale's  football  team  in  '92;  he  now  lives  in  this  district, 
and  has  a  coffee  finca  four  hours'  ride  away. 

Finally,  at  10:10  Tuesday  morning,  April  2d,  having 
completed  all  our  work,  we  started  from  El  Triunfo  for 
our  last  ride  of  the  season.  We  could  easily  have  gone, 
starting  in  the  early  morning,  to  El  Salto  before  night;  as  it 


39° 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


was,  Don  Enrique  planned  a  different  method.  We  had 
good  animals,  which  he  had  loaned  us,  or  for  which  he  had 
arranged  for  us  with  the  muleteers.  At  two  o'clock  we 
reached  La  Trinidad,  where  he  had  promised  that  we  should 
eat  the  finest  meal  in  the  State  of  Chiapas.  We  found  a 
complete  surprise.  Trinidad  is  little  more  than  a  finca,  or 
rancho,  but  it  has  an  agente,  and  quite  a  population  of  Choi 
indians.  The  agente  was  a  decent-looking  fellow,  active 
and  ambitious ;  he  talks  a  little  English,  and  is  something  of 
an  amateur  photographer.  His  house  of  poles  and  mud 
presented  no  notable  external  features,  but  within,  it  was 
supplied  with  furniture  so  varied  and  abundant  as  is  rare 
in  any  part  of  Mexico.  Chairs,  rockers,  tables,  cupboards, 
washstands,  all  were  there;  and  beds,  real  beds,  which 
for  cleanness  were  marvels.  As  soon  as  we  entered  the 
house,  fresh  water  and  clean  towels  were  brought.  On 
the  tables  were  vases  of  fresh-gathered  flowers,  in  quantities, 
and  beautifully  arranged.  The  visible  service  for  all  this 
elegance,  and  for  the  meals,  were  two  little  indian  girls  not 
more  than  six  or  eight  years  old,  neatly  dressed,  and  an 
indian  boy  of  the  same  size  and  cleanness.  The  invisible 
helpers  were  buxom  indian  girls,  well-dressed  and  clean, 
but  who  never  came  into  the  room  where  we  were,  leaving 
all  carrying,  setting  of  tables,  and  serving,  in  the  hands  of 
these  three  little  servants.  There  was,  indeed,  one  other 
person  in  the  household  —  a  beautiful  girl,  slender  and 
refined,  whose  relation  to  the  master  I  do  not  know,  but 
who  was  treated  by  him  as  if  she  were  a  veritable  queen, 
or  some  lovely  flower  in  the  wilderness.  Here  we  rested, 
ate  and  slept  in  comfort,  and  here,  when  morning  came,  we 
paid  a  bill  which  ordinarily  would  have  seemed  large;  how- 
ever, if  one  finds  beautiful  flowers  in  the  wilderness,  he  must 
expect  to  pay.  It  was  worth  while  paying  to  enjoy  the 
best  sleep,  in  the  best  bed,  that  one  had  had  for  months. 


CHOLS 


39i 


The  agente  rode  with  us  in  the  morning  quite  a  league 
upon  our  road,  to  a  place  which  he  was  clearing  for  a  milpa. 
We  had  heard  so  much  of  the  horrors  of  the  road  to  El  Salto, 
that  we  were  prepared  for  the  worst.  It  was  not  an  abrupt 
descent,  as  we  had  expected,  but  for  the  most  part  level,  over 
black  mud.  There  were  a  few  ups  and  downs,  and  there 
was  one  limestone  hill  with  tree-ferns  and  begonias,  and 
all  that  that  implies.  Much  of  the  way  we  had  a  drizzling 
rain,  and  everywhere  the  air  was  hot  and  heavy.  After  four 
hours'  riding,  we  stopped  at  ten  to  eat  a  breakfast  which  we 
had  brought  with  us,  and  then  rode  through  to  El  Salto, 
where  we  arrived  at  12:30.  This  is  the  cabecera  of  the 
district,  and  the  jefe  could  not  understand  why  we  should 
continue  on  our  journey,  as  the  steamer  would  not  leave 
until  the  following  day.  Don  Enrique,  however,  had  urged 
us  not  to  stop  at  El  Salto,  where  he  insisted  the  risk  from 
yellow  fever  was  great.  He  advised  us  to  go  on  to  La 
Cruzada,  where  he  had  a  house  and  an  agent,  and  where, 
he  told  us,  we  could  arrange  for  sleeping  and  eating  as 
comfortably,  and  far  more  safely,  than  in  the  town.  The 
distance  was  short,  but  the  place,  in  truth,  was  dreary.  The 
landing  was  at  the  bottom  of  a  little  slope,  at  the  upper  edge 
of  which  stood  Don  Enrique's  place,  the  storehouse  of  the 
steamship  company,  the  house  and  barnyard  of  the  manager 
of  the  mule  trains,  and  one  or  two  unattractive  huts.  When 
we  arrived,  we  found  that  the  mayor  domo  had  that  day 
resigned,  and  left  the  place,  going  to  El  Salto;  before  he 
left,  he  quarreled  with  the  cook,  and  she  had  gone  off  in 
high  dudgeon.  Two  young  employes,  left  behind,  advised 
us  to  return  to  El  Salto  until  the  time  of  embarkation. 
We,  however,  had  left  El  Salto  behind  us,  and  had  our  lug- 
gage with  us,  and  were  little  inclined  to  retrace  our  steps. 
After  some  grumbling,  we  were  supplied  with  beds,  but  told 
that  the  food  problem  was  impossible.    After  much  wheed- 


39* 


JN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


ling,  coaxing,  bribing,  and  threatening,  a  woman  in  one  of 
the  huts  promised  to  cook  something  for  us,  and  we  had 
nothing  more  to  do  but  wait,  until  the  s-teamer  should  be 
ready.  The  chief  excitement  of  the  day  was  when  the  mule 
trains  were  driven  in,  towards  evening.  With  them  came 
a  swarm  of  mosquitoes,  which  absolutely  darkened  the  air. 
Fortunately  they  did  not  stay,  but  after  an  hour  and  a  half 
of  troubling,  disappeared  as  suddenly  as  they  arrived.  The 
river  had  fallen  to  that  degree  that  it  was  impossible  for  our 
steamer,  the  Mariscal,  to  come  up  to  La  Cruzada,  and  we 
learned  that  it  was  anchored  about  a  league  down  the  river. 
A  flatboat,  poled  by  indians,  came  up  to  the  landing,  ready 
to  receive  cargo  and  passengers,  and  to  transfer  them  to  the 
steamer.  In  the  morning,  the  loading  of  the  flatboat  and  the 
getting  ready  for  departure,  took  all  our  thought.  At  ten 
o'clock  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellsworth,  with  their  baby  and  two 
servants,  appeared  in  small  canoes,  which  had  been  poled 
by  indians  from  the  plantation,  several  hours'  journey  up  the 
Michol  River.  At  the  last  moment,  Mr.  Ellsworth  had 
decided  to  accompany  his  party  to  the  city.  When  every- 
thing was  loaded,  quite  promptly,  at  twelve  o'clock,  the  flat- 
boat  pushed  out  from  its  moorings.  Mr.  Ellsworth's 
little  launch  was  standing  at  the  landing,  and  he  invited  me 
to  ride  in  it,  with  him  and  Mrs.  Ellsworth  and  the  baby,  to 
the  steamer.  We  started  off  right  proudly  in  the  Miriam, 
but,  alas,  pride  goes  before  destruction,  and  we  had  hardly 
left  the  heavy  flatboat  a  little  behind  us,  when  our  machinery 
broke  down,  and  we  had  to  wait  until  the  clumsy  scow  over- 
took us,  when  we  became  common  passengers  again,  and 
drifted  down  the  stream  to  the  Mariscal,  passing  the  Lumeha 
plantation,  an  American  enterprise. 

The  Mariscal  itself  was  a  little  steamer,  too  small  for  the 
passengers  and  freight  it  had  to  carry.  It  had  no  beds  nor 
cabin ;  it  was  dirty  and  crowded ;  it  had  not  food  enough  to 


Chols  Resting;  La  Trinidad 


CHOLS 


393 


feed  the  first-class  passengers,  who  paid  twenty-five  pesos 
each  for  their  short  journey.  There  was,  indeed,  no  other 
class  of  passengers,  only  one  grade  of  tickets  being  sold. 
When  complaints  were  made  of  the  accommodations,  or  lack 
of  all  accommodations,  the  agente,  who  was  on  the  vessel 
with  us,  expressed  surprise,  and  seemed  profoundly  hurt. 
The  stream  is  full  of  curves  and  bends,  is  broad,  and  notably 
uniform  in  breadth;  it  has  considerable  current,  and  is 
bordered  closely  by  the  tropical  forest,  except  where  little 
clearings  have  been  made  for  fincas.  Formerly,  caimans, 
or  alligators,  were  common,  but  they  have  become  rare, 
through  the  diligent  hunting  to  which  they  have  been  sub- 
jected for  supplying  skins.  Two  days  are  usually  taken  in 
the  journey  to  Frontera,  though  it  is  not  a  fifteen  hours'  run. 
Mr.  Ellsworth  arranged  for  our  going  directly  through,  so 
that,  except  one  stop  at  a  midway  station,  we  made  a  con- 
tinuous journey,  and  drew  up  at  Frontera  at  9:50  in  the 
morning. 

It  is  a  mean  little  town,  but  far  cleaner  than  Coatza- 
coalcos.  Real  grass  grows  there,  and  the  little  plaza  is  almost 
a  lawn.  Last  year,  when  yellow  fever  was  so  terrible  at 
Coatzacoalcos,  and  when,  even  at  El  Salto,  there  were 
forty  cases,  there  were  none  here.  The  town  is  hot,  and 
during  the  two  days  we  spent  there,  our  chief  effort  was  to 
keep  cool.  The  steamer,  Mexico,  appeared  upon  the  6th, 
planning  to  leave  the  same  day.  A  norther  came,  however, 
and  rendered  the  bar  impassable.  In  the  morning,  Easter 
Sunday,  the  wind  had  fallen  somewhat.  We  saw  the  little 
celebration  at  the  church,  and,  learning  that  the  boat  was 
likely  to  leave  at  noon,  went  aboard.  At  one  we  started. 
Sailing  down  the  river,  we  soon  found  ourselves  between  the 
piers,  and  the  moment  of  test  had  come.  At  the  first  thump 
of  the  keel  upon  the  sand,  we  doubted  whether  we  should 
pass  the  bar;  still  we  kept  along  with  steam  full  on  and  the 


394 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


bow  headed  seaward ;  nine  times  we  struck  the  sandy  bottom, 
but  then  found  ourselves  in  deeper  water,  and  were  again 
upon  the  Gulf.  The  Mexico  was  just  as  dirty,  the  food  was 
just  as  bad,  and  the  crew  just  as  unaccommodating,  as  in 
1896,  when  we  had  our  first  experience  of  her.  Rather 
than  lie  in  the  stuffy  cabin,  I  took  my  blanket  out  on  deck, 
and  rolled  up  there  for  the  night.  Room  was  plenty,  as  there 
were  only  a  score  of  passengers.  When  we  woke,  the  boat  was 
standing  in  the  harbor  of  Coatzacoalcos,  and  we  landed  to  eat 
a  breakfast  at  the  hotel.  Through  the  day,  we  wandered 
about  town,  but  were  again  upon  the  vessel  at  four  o'clock. 
We  now  numbered  about  a  hundred  passengers,  and  every- 
thing was  crowded.  In  the  company  was  a  comic  theatre 
troupe.  The  day  before,  a  number  of  the  passengers  had 
been  seasick;  on  this  occasion,  three-fourths  were  suffering, 
and  the  decks  were  a  disgusting  spectacle.  Still,  fresh  air 
was  there,  and  again  I  made  my  bed  on  deck.  In  the 
middle  of  the  night,  having  moved  slightly,  I  felt  a  sharp 
and  sudden  pain  in  my  right  temple,  exactly  as  if  I  had  rolled 
upon  a  sharp,  hot  tack.  I  had  my  jacket  for  a  pillow, 
and  thought  at  first  that  there  really  was  a  tack  in  one  of 
the  pockets,  and  sought,  but  in  vain,  to  find  it.  Lying  down 
to  sleep  again,  I  presently  moved  my  hand  over  the  blanket 
on  the  deck,  and  suddenly,  again,  I  felt  the  sharp,  burning 
prick,  this  time  in  my  thumb.  Certain  that  it  could  not  be 
a  tack  this  time,  I  brought  my  hand  down  forcibly,  and,  rising, 
saw  by  the  moonlight  that  I  had  killed  a  large,  black  scorpion. 
For  two  hours  the  stings  felt  like  fire,  but  by  morning  had 
ceased  to  pain  me;  then  I  found  two  or  three  of  the  other 
passengers  suffering  from  similar  stings,  and  reached  the 
conclusion  that  the  Mexico  was  swarming  with  the  creatures. 
At  dawn,  we  sighted  Vera  Cruz,  and  were  soon  in  the  har- 
bor, standing  at  anchor;  at  eight  o'clock,  we  stood  upon  the 
wharf,  and  our  journeys  in  Indian  Mexico  were  ended. 


Indian  Hut;  Santa  Anita 


Guadalupe;  December  12 


CHAPTER  XXVII 


CONCLUSION 

TDUT  it  was  not  necessary  to  go  to  distant  Oaxaca  and 
^  Chiapas  to  find  Mexican  indians.  On  the  border  of  the 
capital  city  lie  Santa  Anita,  Iztacalco,  Mexicalcingo,  Ixta- 
palapa,  and  a  quantity  of  other  villages  and  towns,  where 
one  may  still  find  Aztec  indians  of  pure  blood,  sometimes 
speaking  the  old  language,  sometimes  wearing  characteristic 
dress,  and  maintaining,  to  the  present,  many  ancient  prac- 
tices and  customs.  At  Santa  Anita,  for  example,  one  may 
eat  juiles  and  tarnales,  catch  a  glimpse  of  indian  weddings, 
and  delight  his  eyes  with  the  fresh  beauty  of  the  chinatnpas, 
—  wonderful  spots  of  verdure  and  flowers  —  the  floating 
gardens  of  the  ancient  Aztecs.  Half  an  hour,  or  less,  in  the 
tram-car  takes  the  traveller  to  Guadalupe,  which  may  be 
called  the  heart  of  Indian  Mexico.  There,  on  the  rock  of 
Tepeyac,  the  Virgin  appeared  to  Juan  Diego;  there,  in 
the  churches,  dedicated  in  honor  of  that  apparition,  thou- 
sands of  indians,  from  leagues  around,  gather  yearly. 
On  December  12,  in  the  crowded  streets  of  Guadalupe, 
groups,  fantastically  garbed  as  indians,  dance  in  the  Virgin's 
honor,  and  in  their  songs  and  dances,  modern  though  they 
be,  can  be  found  suggestions  of  the  olden  time.  Now  and 
then,  one  may  witness,  what  I  saw  in  December,  1895  —  a 
group  of  indian  pilgrims  from  a  distant  town,  singing  and 
dancing  to  the  Virgin,  within  the  great  church  itself.  And 
near  the  high  altar,  where  thick  glass  plates  are  set  into  the 
floor,  letting  a  dim  light  into  the  crypts  below,  one  may  see 
crowds  of  indians  rubbing  the  smooth  surface  with  their 

395 


396 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


diseased  parts  to  effect  a  cure.  On  the  streets  of  the  capi- 
tal city,  one  daily  sees  bands  of  pure  Otomis  in  rags  and 
filth,  bringing  their  loads  of  charcoal  and  of  corn  to  market. 
Their  ugly  dark  faces,  their  strange  native  dress,  their  harsh 
language,  make  on  the  stranger  an  impression  not  easily 
forgotten. 

Reliable  figures  are  wanting  as  to  the  number  of  pure 
Mexican  indians.  If  the  population  of  the  Republic  be 
estimated  at  fifteen  millions,  it  should  be  safe  to  say  that 
five  millions  of  this  number  are  indians  of  pure  blood,  speak- 
ing their  old  language,  keeping  alive  much  of  the  ancient 
life  and  thought.  In  some  parts  of  Mexico,  it  almost  seems 
as  if  what  white-blood  once  existed  is  now  breeding  out. 
The  indian  of  Mexico  is  conservative;  he  does  not  want 
contact  with  a  larger  world ;  his  village  suffices  for  his  needs ; 
he  is  ready  to  pay  taxes  for  the  sake  of  being  let  alone,  to 
live  in  peace,  after  the  way  his  fathers  lived.  In  his  bosom 
there  is  still  hatred  of  the  white  man  and  the  mestizo,  and 
distrust  of  every  stranger.  The  Chamula  outbreak  in 
1868,  and  the  Maya  war  just  ended,  are  examples  of  this 
smouldering  hatred.  Mexico  has  a  serious  problem  in  its 
Indians;  the  solution  of  the  problem  has  been  attempted  in 
various  ways,  according  to  whether  the  population  dealt 
with  was  Totonac,  Yaqui,  Maya:  it  is  no  small  task,  to 
build  a  nation  out  of  an  indian  population. 

Soon  after  the  publication  of  my  "Indians  of  Southern 
Mexico,"  I  had  the  pleasure  of  presenting  a  copy  of  the 
book  to  President  Diaz,  and  of  looking  through  its  pictures 
with  him.  When  we  came  to  the  general  view  of  Yodocono, 
and  its  little  lake,  tears  stood  in  the  old  man's  eyes  as  he 
said,  "Sir,  that  was  my  mother's  birthplace,  and  in  her 
honor  I  have  established,  at  my  own  expense,  two  schools, 
one  for  boys,  and  one  for  girls."  Looking  at  the  round 
huts  of  Chicahuastla,  he  shivered,  and  remarked:  "Ah,, 


CONCLUSION 


397 


sir,  but  it  is  cold  in  Chicahuastla."  I  replied,  "Your  Excel- 
lency, I  see  that  you  have  been  in  Chicahuastla."  When 
he  saw  the  Zapotec  types,  from  the  District  of  Tehuantepcc, 
he  said:  "They  are  fine  large  fellows;  they  make  good 
soldiers;  when  I  was  Governor  of  Oaxaca,  I  had  a  body- 
guard of  them."  He  then  told  me  of  the  six  orphan  boys 
who,  in  memory  of  his  body-guard,  he  had  adopted  and 
educated;  he  told  me  with  pride  of  the  success  which  the 
five  who  still  live  had  made,  and  of  the  positions  they  were 
filling.  When  he  reached  the  portrait  of  the  little  Mixtec, 
carrying  a  sack  of  corn,  who,  with  pride,  had  told  me,  in 
answer  to  my  question,  that  his  name  was  Porfirio  Diaz, 
the  President  of  the  Republic  looked  long  and  earnestly 
at  the  picture,  and  I  noticed  that,  when  we  turned  the  pages, 
his  finger  marked  the  spot  where  the  likeness  of  his  name- 
sake was,  and,  when  the  book  was  finished,  before  closing 
it,  he  turned  back  again,  and  looked  at  the  little  fellow's 
face.  At  the  first  Otomi  portrait,  he  had  said:  "Ah,  sir, 
but  my  schools  will  change  the  Otomis." 

It  would  be  pleasant  to  have  faith  in  President  Diaz' 
solution  of  the  Otomi  problem,  but  to  me  it  seems  doubtful. 
Of  course,  I  recall  with  pleasure  my  visit  to  the  boys'  school 
at  San  Nicolas  Panotla.  It  was  interesting  to  see  those 
little  Tlaxcalan  fellows  solve  problems  in  alligation  and 
percentage,  in  bonds  and  mortgages;  but  it  is  doubtful 
whether  any  of  them,  in  actual  life,  will  have  to  deal  with 
blending  coffees,  or  with  selling  bonds,  and  cutting  coupons. 
Still,  from  such  indian  towns  great  men  have  come  in  the 
past,  and  great  men  will  come  in  the  future.  Benito  Juarez, 
who  laid  the  foundations  on  which  Diaz  has  so  magnificently 
built,  was  a  pure-blood  Zapotec.  From  the  Aztecs,  the 
Tlaxcalans,  Mixtecs,  Zapotecs  and  Mayas,  we  may  hope 
much  in  the  future.  They  were  races  of  achievement  in  the 
past,  and  the  monuments  of  their  achievement  still  remain. 


398 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


But  that  the  Otomi,  the  Triqui,  or  the  Mixe,  should  be 
made  over  by  the  schools  is  doubtful.  Personally,  I  feel 
that  the  prosperity  of  Mexico  rests  more  upon  the  indian 
blood  than  on  any  other  element  of  national  power.  That 
schools  will  do  much  to  train  the  more  gifted  tribes  perhaps 
is  true.    But  there  are  indians,  and  indians,  in  Mexico. 


GLOSSARY  OF  SPANISH  AND 
INDIAN  WORDS 

abusos.    abuses,  disturbances, 
adios.    adieu,  good-bye. 
agente.  agent, 
agua.  water. 

agua  bendita.    blessed  water. 

agua  miel.    lit.  honey  water,  the  unfermented  juice  of  the  maguey, 
aguardiente,    a  spirituous  liquor, 
aguas  frescas.    refreshing  drinks, 
ahuacate.    a  fruit,  the  alligator  pear. 

aje,  or  axe.    an  insect ;  a  greasy  mass,  yielding  a  lacquer-like  lustre- 
alcalde,    a  town  judge, 
arbol.  tree. 

arriero.    a  convoyer  of  loaded  mules  or  horses, 
atole.    a  corn  gruel. 

autorizada.    authorized,  having  authority. 

axolotl.    a  water  salamander,  with  peculiar  life-history. 

ayatl,  or  ayate.    a  carry-cloth. 

barranca,    a  gorge,  or  gully. 

bruja.  witch. 

brujeria.  witch-craft. 

burro,  ass. 

cabecera.    the  head-town  of  a  district, 
cafe,  coffee. 

caiman,    a  reptile  much  like  an  alligator, 
camaron.  shrimp, 
camisa.  shirt. 

cantera,  cantero.    a  water-jar,  or  pitcher, 
cargador.  carrier, 
carreta.  cart, 
carretero.    a  carter. 

cascaron.    an  eggshell  filled  with  bits  of  cut  paper. 
Catalan,    a  wine,  named  from  a  Spanish  town. 

399 


4°° 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


cenote.    a  cave  with  water. 

centavo.    a  coin,  the  one-hundredth  part  of  a  peso ;  a  cent. 

chac  mool.    a  stone  figure,  found  at  Chichen  Itza,  Yucatan. 

chalupa.    a  boat-shaped  crust  with  meat  or  vegetables  in  it. 

chamara.    a  blanket  for  wearing. 

champurrado.    a  mixture,  as  of  atole  and  chocolate. 

chapapote.  chewing-gum. 

chicha.    an  intoxicant  made  from  sugar-cane. 

chicle,  chewing-gum. 

chinampa.    "floating  garden,"  a  garden  patch. 

chirimiya.    a  shrill  musical  instrument,  somewhat  like  a  fife  or  flageolet. 

chirimoya.    the  custard-apple. 

cigarro.  cigarette. 

cincalotl,  cincalote.  granary. 

clarin.    a  bird,  with  clear  note. 

cochero.  coachman. 

colorin.    a  tree. 

comiteco.    a  spirits  made  at  Comitan. 
Conquista.  Conquest, 
copal,    a  gum,  much  used  as  incense, 
coro.  loft. 

corral,    an  enclosure  for  animals, 
costumbre.  custom. 

coton,  cotones.    a  man's  upper  garment,  a  sort  of  poncho. 

cuartel.  barracks. 

cuezcomatl,  cuezcomate.  granary. 

cura.    parish  priest. 

curato.    parish  house. 

danza.  dance. 

doctrina.    doctrine,  catechism. 

don.    Mr.,  used  only  when  the  Christian  name  of  a  person  is  spoken, 
dulce.    sweet,  sweetmeat, 
dulcero.    maker  or  seller  of  sweets, 
dulceria.    sweetmeat  factory, 
enagua.    woman's  skirt. 

enchilada,    a  fried  tortilla  with  chili  and  cheese. 

feria.  fair. 

fiesta,  festival. 

finca.    farm,  plantation. 

firma.  signature. 


GLOSSARY 


401 


fiscal,    fiscal  officer, 
frijol,  frijoles.    bean,  beans, 
golondrina.  swallow, 
gramatica.  grammar. 

gringo,    somewhat  derisive  term  applied  to  foreigners,  especially  Amer- 
icans, 
guardia.  guard, 
hacienda,    a  country-place. 

haciendado,  haciendero.    the  owner  of  an  hacienda. 

hennequin.    a  plant  producing  fibre,  sisal  hemp. 

hermita.    a  retired  shrine. 

herreria.    smithy,  forge,  ironworks. 

h'men.  conjuror. 

huehuetes.    the  old  ones. 

huehuetl,  huehuete.    the  ancient  upright  drum. 

huerfano.  orphan. 

huipil,  huipili.    a  woman's  waist  garment. 

huipilili.    a  woman's  waist  garment,  worn  under  the  huipil. 

idioma.    idiom,  language. 

incomunicado.    solitary,  not  allowed  communication, 
itinerario.    itinerary.  # 
itztli.  obsidian. 

ixtli.    fibre  from  the  maguey  and  cactus. 

jacal.    a  hut. 

jarabe.    a  popular  dance. 

jicara.    a  gourd-cup,  or  vessel. 

jonote.    a  tree. 

jornada.    a  day's  march. 

juez,  judge. 

ke'esh.    a  votive  figure. 

ladino.    a  mestizo,  a  person  not  Indian. 

ladron,  ladrones.    thief,  thieves. 

liana,  vine. 

licenciado.  lawyer. 

lima,    a  fruit,  somewhat  like  an  insipid  orange. 

lindas.    pretty  (girls). 

llano,    a  grassy  plain. 

machete,    a  large  knife. 

maestro,    teacher,  a  master  in  any  trade. 

maguey,    a  plant,  the  century  plant  or  agave,  yielding  pulque. 


402  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


mai,  pelico.    tobacco,  mixed  with  chili  and  lime, 
malacatl,  malacate.  spindle-whorl, 
malinche.  malinche. 

mamey.    a  fruit,  orange  flesh  and  brown  exterior, 
manta.    cotton-cloth,  a  woman's  dress, 
manana.  to-morrow. 

mapachtl.    a  small  animal,  perhaps  the  raccoon  or  badger. 

mapaho.    beating-sticks,  for  cleaning  cotton. 

mayores.    chiefs,  village  elders,  police. 

medio,    six  centavos. 

meson,    a  house  for  travellers. 

mescal,    a  spirits,  made  from  an  agave. 

mestizo,    a  person  of  mixed  blood. 

metate.    stone  upon  which  corn  is  ground. 

milagro.  miracle. 

milpa.  cornfield. 

mogote.    a  mound  or  tumulus. 

mole,    a  stew,  highly  seasoned  with  chili. 

mole  prieto.    black  mole. 

moral,    a  tree,  mulberry. 

mozo.    a  young  man,  a  servant. 

mudo.    mute,  dumb. 

mulada.    a  mule  train. 

muneco.    doll,  figure. 

municipio.    town,  town-government,  town-house. 

nacimiento.    an  arrangement  of  figures  and  grotto- work,  made  at 

Christmastide. 
nada.  nothing, 
nagual.  conjuror, 
negrito.    (diminutive)  negro, 
nublina.    mist,  fog. 
ocote.    pine-tree,  splinter  of  pine, 
otro.  other, 
padre,    father,  priest, 
padrecito.  priest. 

pais,    country,  esp.  one's  native  town, 
panela.    sugar  in  cake  or  loaf, 
papaya,    a  fruit. 

pastorela.    a  drama  relative  to  the  Nativity, 
pastores.  shepherds. 


GLOSSARY 


403 


patio,    inside  court  of  house. 

pelico,  mai.    tobacco,  with  chili  and  lime. 

peso,    a  money  denomination,  one  hundred  centavos,  one  dollar, 
petate.  mat. 

pinolillo.    a  species  of  tick. 

pinto,    a  disease,  spotted  skin. 

pita,    a  fibre. 

pitero.    a  fifer. 

pito.  fife. 

plaza,    town  square. 

portales.    a  building  with  corridor  in  front. 

posol,  posole.    corn  prepared  to  carry  on  journey,  for  mixing  with  water. 

prefecto.  prefect. 

presidente.  president. 

principales.    principal  men,  councillors. 

pueblito.    small  pueblo,  village. 

pulque,    an  intoxicant,  made  from  maguey  sap. 

quichiquemil.    a  woman's  upper  garment. 

rancho.    a  country-place. 

ranchito.    a  small  ranch. 

rebozo.    a  woman's  garment,  a  wrap  or  light  shawl. 

regidor.  alderman. 

remedio.  remedy. 

sangre.  blood. 

santo,  santito.  saint. 

senor.    sir,  gentleman. 

senora.    madam,  lady. 

senorita.    Miss,  young  woman. 

serape.    a  blanket,  for  wearing. 

sindico.  recorder. 

soltero.    an  unmarried  man. 

sombrero,  hat. 

subida.  ascent. 

tabla.  board. 

tamales.    dumplings  of  corn-meal, 
tambour,  drum, 
tatita.  papa. 

tepache.    a  fermented  drink. 

teponastl,  teponaste.    the  ancient  horizontal  drum. 

tienda.    store,  shop. 


4o4  IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 

tierra  caliente.    hot  country, 
tigre.    tiger,  jaguar, 
tinaja.  water-jar. 
topil.    a  messenger  or  police, 
toro.  bull. 

tortillas,    corn-cakes,  cooked  on  a  griddle, 
tortuga.  turtle, 
tsupakwa.  dart-thrower, 
ule.  rubber, 
vaca.  cow. 

vamonos.    come  on,  we  are  going. 

viejos.  old. 

vomito.    yellow  fever. 

xalama.    a  tree. 

xto\,  xtoles.  a  dancer,  or  dancers  (see  Merida,  narrative), 
zacate,  sacate.    hay,  fodder. 


ITINERARY 

The  expedition  of  1896  was  preliminary.  We  went  by  rail  from 
the  City  of  Mexico  to  Oaxaca,  capital  of  the  state  of  the  same 
name.  Thence,  we  journeyed  by  horse  through  the  states  of 
Oaxaca  and  Chiapas,  to  the  city  of  Guatemala,  entering  the  Re- 
public of  Guatemala  at  Nenton.  The  return  journey  was  made 
by  rail  to  the  Pacific  port  of  San  Jose,  steamer  to  Salina  Cruz,  rail 
to  Coatzacoalcos,  steamer  to  Vera  Cruz,  and  rail  to  the  City  of 
Mexico.  Only  the  portion  of  this  journey  between  Oaxaca  and 
Nenton  is  here  described,  the  rest  not  lying  in  Indian  Mexico. 
The  City  of  Mexico  was  headquarters  for  the  work  in  1897-98. 
A  trip  was  made  by  rail  from  there  to  Dos  Rios,  to  measure  and 
photograph  the  Otomis  of  Huixquilucan,  in  the  state  of  Mexico. 
Thence  we  went  to  Patzcuaro  by  rail,  and  studied  the  Tarascans 
in  the  villages  about  Lake  Patzcuaro,  visiting  these  by  canoe- 
trips.  We  then  made  a  trip  on  horseback  to  Uruapan  (then  with- 
out rail  connection),  returning  by  some  important  indian  towns. 
After  returning  to  Mexico,  we  visited  the  states  of  Tlaxcala  and 
Puebla.  In  and  around  the  City  of  Tlaxcala,  we  secured  our 
Tlaxcalan  subjects.  At  Cuauhtlantzinco,  we  worked  upon 
Aztecs.  Our  experiences  at  this  large  town  of  Puebla  are  not 
described,  as  Bandelier  has  already  rendered  the  place  familiar, 
and  we  ourselves  have  written  of  it  elsewhere.  With  these  two 
peoples,  we  made  our  first  essays  at  bust-making.  After  return- 
ing to  Mexico,  we  went  by  rail,  on  the  Guadalajara  branch  of  the 
Mexican  Central,  to  Negrete.  From  there,  by  coach  (there  being 
then  no  railroad)  to  Zamora.  Thence,  we  struck,  on  horseback, 
through  the  Tarascan  territory,  across  to  Patzcuaro.  On  the 
way,  we  secured  our  full  series  of  Tarascan  busts,  at  the  Once 
Pueblos.  By  rail,  we  went  from  Patzcuaro  to  Dos  Rios,  to  secure 
our  lacking  busts  of  Otomis  at  Huixquilucan.  In  the  second  field 
expedition,  January  to  March  1899,  we  worked  entirely  in  the 
state  of  Oaxaca.    At  first  a  trip  was  made,  by  horse,  from  Oaxaca 

405 


406 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


into  the  Mixteca  Alta,  where  Mixtecs  and  Triquis  were  studied. 
Again  starting  from  Oaxaca,  we  traveled  over  our  old  trails  of  1896, 
through  the  mountains  to  Tehuantepec,  returning  by  the  high- 
road in  common  use.  Zapotecs  were  studied  at  Mitla  and  Tehuan- 
tepec, and  the  Mixes,  Juaves,  and  Chontals  in  various  towns  and 
villages.  The  season's  work  closed  by  our  study,  at  and  near 
Cuicatlan,  of  the  Cuicatecs.  At  this  town,  too,  we  began  to  work 
upon  Chinantecs.  In  the  third  field  expedition,  during  the  early 
months  of  1900,  we  visited  seven  populations,  making  our  regular 
study  upon  six  of  them.  To  fill  a  week  that  would  otherwise  have 
been  lost,  we  made  a  pedestrian  trip  through  the  interesting  in- 
dian  towns  on  the  slopes  of  Malintzi.  Then,  from  Cuicatlan  as  a 
center,  we  made  two  journeys  —  one  to  San  Juan  Zautla  and  San 
Pedro  Soochiapan,  to  examine  Chinantecs;  the  other  to  Coixtla- 
huaca,  for  seeing  Chochos.  From  Cuicatlan,  we  struck  north  by 
rail  to  San  Antonio,  and,  by  coach  to  Teotitlan  del  Camino  and  by 
horse  beyond,  penetrated  to  the  great  Mazatec  town  of  Huauhtla. 
Chinantecs,  Chochos,  and  Mazatecs  are  tribes  of  Oaxaca.  Leav- 
ing that  state,  we  traveled  by  rail  to  Tulancingo.  From  there,  by 
coach  and  on  horseback,  we  visited  Otomi,  Aztec,  Tepehua  and 
Totonac  towns  in  the  states  of  Puebla  and  Hidalgo.  With  the 
field  season  of  1901,  our  work  in  Indian  Mexico  ended.  It  was 
pursued  in  three  separated  areas.  From  the  City  of  Mexico,  we 
went  by  rail  to  Tampico.  From  that  point,  a  journey  by  canoe 
and  horse  enabled  us  to  see  the  Huaxtecs  of  the  state  of  Vera  Cruz. 
Returning  to  Tampico,  a  trip  by  steamer  across  the  gulf  brought 
us  to  Yucatan.  Progreso  and  Merida  were  visited,  and  our  work 
was  done  upon  the  Mayas  living  near  the  town  of  Tekax.  A  second 
trip  on  the  gulf  brought  us  to  Coatzacoalcos,  whence  the  railroad 
was  used  to  Tehuantepec  and  San  Geronimo.  From  the  latter 
point,  an  ox-cart  journey  of  ten  nights,  across  the  states  of  Oaxaca 
and  Chiapas,  brought  us  to  Tuxtla  Gutierrez.  By  horse  we  con- 
tinued through  Chiapas  to  El  Salto,  where  we  took  steamer  for 
Frontera.  From  there,  by  steamer  to  Vera  Cruz  and  then  by  rail, 
we  traveled  to  the  City  of  Mexico.  Zoques,  Tzotzils,  Tzendals, 
and  Chols  were  studied  in  this  portion  of  the  journey. 


APPENDIX 


STARR  IN  OLD  MEXICO 

/^AXACA,  Mexico,  March  i.— Prof.  Frederick  Starr, 
of  the  University  of  Chicago,  is  deep  in  the  midst 
of  his  savages.  He  is  manipulating  primitive  town  gov- 
ernments, wielding  the  authority  of  federal  and  state  gov- 
ernments, county  police,  and  that  of  the  clergy  as  well.  He 
is  threatening,  cajoling,  clapping  in  jail,  when  necessary, 
and  in  general  conquering  his  series  of  strange  nations.  I 
found  him  doing  all  this,  and  more,  in  a  little  native  village 
fifty  miles  from  the  city  of  Oaxaca,  Feb.  2nd.  The  fat  little 
man  was  complete  master  of  the  Zapotec  town  of  Mitla, 
far  distant  from  the  end  of  the  last  of  the  railroads,  a  town 
famous  for  its  ruins.  He  bustled  about  like  a  captain  in  a 
war  haste,  dressed  in  a  massive  Indian  sombrero,  from 
which  a  white  string  floated  picturesquely  behind,  a  neck- 
tie of  slim,  dusty  black,  which  seemed  not  to  have  been 
unknotted  for  many  a  day,  a  shirt  less  immaculate  than  the 
one  he  may  wear  at  the  entertainment  shortly  to  be  given 
him  in  London,  and  no  coat.  The  professor's  trousers  are 
not  Indian.  They  are  farm  trousers,  of  an  original  type, 
with  double  seat  for  the  saddle. 

The  professor's  blood  was  up.  A  grand  native  feast 
—  in  which  drunken  dances,  bull-fights,  and  a  state  of  accu- 
mulated irresponsibility  are  the  rule  —  had  delayed  him 
three  days.  The  Indians  could  no  more  be  measured  and 
" busted" — as  the  professor  calls  the  making  of  plaster 
casts  —  than  could  the  liquor  they  had  drunk.    After  three 

days  of  pleading,  threatening,  and  berating,  in  which  orders 

407 


4o8 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


from  every  government  and  church  official  in  the  country, 
from  lowest  to  highest,  had  failed,  Prof.  Starr  seized  the 
black-bearded  and  wiry  president  of  the  town  council,  the 
chief  potentate  of  the  reeling  set,  called  him  a  drunken 
scoundrel,  threatened  in  deep  seriousness  to  imprison  every 
man  in  the  town,  and  finally  won  his  point  —  but  not  until 
the  feast  was  done.  When  feasts  are  over,  the  people  are 
kindly,  suave,  gracious. 

Then  the  professor  corralled  those  he  wanted.  He  was 
to  measure  for  scientific  purposes  100  of  the  Indians,  in  the 
order  in  which  they  chanced  to  present  themselves.  After 
such  wheedling  as  it  must  have  taken  infinite  practice  to 
acquire  —  pattings  of  the  Zapotec  back,  hugging  of  the 
men,  chucking  the  children,  with  elaborate  explanations  — 
the  thing  "took"  and  the  people  fell  into  the  spirit  of  it. 
The  jail  was  the  only  accessible  building,  and  was  strangely 
empty.  It  was  of  adobe,  a  jail  of  one  room,  with  a  dirt 
floor.    There  were  no  windows,  only  the  single  barred  door. 

From  every  cane-walled,  thatched,  tropical  hut  that 
helps  to  make  the  irregular  cluster  around  the  central  plaza 
and  its  adjoining  bull  ring  they  came,  if  not  to  be  measured, 
to  see.  They  were  driven  by  the  highest  of  the  town  author- 
ities —  for  every  element  of  the  population  waited  on  the 
bidding  of  the  little  sugar- tongued  professor  from  the  north 
—  one  by  one  into  the  jail,  and  the  rest  curiously  watched. 
The  measuring  was  done  without  undressing,  but  the 
" busting"  was  the  point  of  chief  interest.  Five  represen- 
tative specimens  had  been  carefully  selected  for  this  pur- 
pose. They  were  won  slowly,  by  the  glitter  of  75  cents  of 
Mexican  silver.  In  some  towns,  only  50  cents  was  required, 
and  in  others,  $1.  The  smirking  Indian,  with  his  wildness 
hidden  away,  or  only  peeping  from  his  eye,  entered.  He 
disrobed  with  no  shame.  He  was  put  flat  on  the  floor, 
face  down,  on  a  little  piece  of  matting.    At  this  stage  some 


STARR  IN  OLD  MEXICO 


objected.  Then  the  Anglo-Saxon  was  down  on  the  floor, 
wheedling,  talking  such  sweetness  as  can  be  spoken  with- 
out silliness  only  in  the  Spanish  tongue. 

The  victim  finally  consents.  Then  the  Mexican  plaster 
worker,  who  has  followed  the  caravan  from  its  start,  goes 
to  work.  He  makes  a  cast  of  the  back  of  the  head  and 
shoulders,  and  the  Indian  is  turned  over,  face  up.  Another 
cast  of  the  breast  and  neck  and  chin  is  made,  and  yet  an- 
other of  the  front  half  of  the  head  and  the  face,  with  little 
tubes  for  breathing  sticking  through  it.  The  Indian  has 
grunted,  snorted,  laughed  and  squirmed,  but  he  has  been 
made  to  understand  that  he  must  be  still.  That  great  75 
cents  is  held  always  over  him,  and  the  thing  is  accomplished. 

During  all  the  process,  the  crowd  of  Indians  about  and 
in  the  jail  was  eager-eyed  and  astonished.  The  women 
wear  odd  woolen,  blanket-like  skirts  of  red  or  black,  folded 
in  two  great  plaits  down  the  front.  The  dress  does  not 
reach  the  ankles,  and  the  feet  are  bare.  They  carry  the 
baby  on  the  back,  wound  in  the  rebozo,  with  its  bare  legs 
straddling  her  and  sticking  out.  The  men  wear  a  sandal 
quite  different  from  the  ordinary  Mexican  footgear. 

Of  the  100  that  were  to  be  measured,  Jose  was  one. 
Jose  was  of  a  better  family,  a  character  in  the  town,  and 
proud.  He  rebelled.  This  breach  of  the  professor's 
authority  could  not  be  allowed.  Jose  was  summoned  by 
the  president  of  the  town,  the  honeyed,  affable  "Senor 
Presidente,"  the  same  who  had  been  called  the  drunken 
scoundrel,  now  accommodating,  a  true  and  emotional  friend. 
Jose  sent  a  thousand  excuses,  and  finally  defiance. 

"That  man,"  cried  the  professor,  showing  his  writ  of 
authority  from  the  jefe  politico  of  the  district,  "I  order 
to  be  arrested." 

Jose  did  not  flee.  He  was  found  next  morning  in  the 
bull  ring  riding  a  bull.    He  was  arrested  by  the  Chicagoan's 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


orders,  and  taken  to  jail.  He  was  peremptorily  ordered 
by  the  professor  to  appear  for  the  measurement.  He 
escaped,  and  again  defied  the  powers.  He  was  again  caught, 
and  it  was  explained  to  him  by  the  president  that  this  man 
of  might  from  the  beyond  had  sworn  to  drag  Jose  with  him 
all  the  way  across  this  wild  country  slowly  to  Tehuan tepee, 
thence  back  to  the  city  of  Oaxaca,  where  the  state  authori- 
ties would  deal  most  painfully  with  him.  And  this,  indeed, 
in  mighty  manner  and  impressively,  had  the  "man  from  the 
beyond' '  sworn  to  do.  Jose  came  and  was  measured,  and 
I  afterward  saw  him  calling  to  the  professor  to  come  and 
take  a  jolly  drink  out  of  the  gourd  he  was  shaking  at  him, 
in  the  manner  of  a  comrade. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  work  being  done,  the  civilities 
and  sugared  conduct  must  be  continued,  with  a  view  to 
future  visits.  The  professor  wanted  to  enter  the  church, 
which,  though  modern,  stands  in  the  middle  of  one  of  the 
mysterious  ruins.  The  church  was  locked,  and  the  mayor- 
domo  not  to  be  found. 

"But  I  must  photograph  a  strange  picture  you  have  in 
there." 

"The  mayor-domo  is  drunk,  at  your  service,  my  most 
excellent  friend,  "  replied  the  president,  sympathetically. 
"I  am  sorry,  but  he  got  under  the  influence  three  days  ago 
at  the  beginning  of  the  feast,  and  he  has  slept  ever  since. 
Ah,  the  mayor-domo  is  sleeping  now,  my  excellent  friend, 
and  he  has  the  keys." 

"You  shall  send  a  boy  into  the  tower  to  ring  the  bell 
and  wake  the  mayor-domo,"  cried  the  professor. 

The  crowd  sat  on  the  stone  steps,  the  bell  was  pealed, 
and  at  last  the  church  was  opened,  and  the  picture  photo- 
graphed. 

The  procession  then  moved  to  the  top  of  an  ancient 
pyramid,  in  which  tombs  have  been  opened,  and  bones  and 


STARR  IN  OLD  MEXICO  411 

gold  ornaments  found.  The  professor  dashed  through  all 
the  tunnels,  with  the  government  after  him,  before  mounting 
to  the  top.  On  top  a  strange  conversation  was  held  between 
the  professor  and  the  president  and  secretary.  They 
appealed  to  this  northern  man,  who  seemed  to  have  all 
earthly  authority  back  of  him,  to  grant  them  one  longed-for 
boon.  Would  he  not  please  speak,  when  he  returned  to  the 
capital,  to  the  minister  of  encouragement,  that  he  send  them 
a  brass  band!  They  wanted  to  welcome  northern  visitors 
to  the  ruins  with  modern  music. 

"You  have  great  power.  You  need  but  to  ask  of  those 
in  Mexico  and  the  band  will  come.  Most  beloved  friend, 
oh,  most  excellent  professor  from  the  far  north,  give  to  us 
a  brass  band!  "  And  the  professor  promised  to  speak  to 
Minister  Leal  about  it.  Then,  too,  the  beastly  state  govern- 
ment was  dragging  some  of  their  precious  ruins  away  to  put 
in  a  museum.  Would  the  professor  please  have  the  kindness 
to  stop  this?  The  professor  promised  to  do  what  he  could, 
and  he  was  hugged  and  blessed  and  patted  by  the  simple 
people. 

Prof.  Starr  began  his  ethnological  studies  to  westward 
of  Oaxaca.  Mitla  is  eastward.  In  the  west,  he  visited 
two  tribes  —  the  Mixtecas  and  the  Triquis.  The  latter  are 
a  branch  of  the  former,  but  much  different,  living  in  round 
bamboo  huts,  surprisingly  like  those  of  some  African  tribes. 
He  secured  two  excellent  casts  of  the  Triquis,  and  three  of 
the  Mixtecas.  He  intended  to  take  five  of  each  tribe  he 
visited,  but  his  plaster  failed  to  arrive.  He  studies  the  lan- 
guages, also,  as  he  goes,  and  finds  many  varying  dialects, 
from  each  of  which  he  secures  a  test  vocabulary  of  200 
words.  He  is  now  approaching  the  Mixes,  the  "cannibals." 
All  the  City  of  Mexico  papers  laugh  at  the  idea  of  his  en- 
countering the  slightest  danger,  and  the  professor  himself 
scoffs  at  it.    He  believes  some  of  the  Mixes  have,  within 


4I2 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


forty  years,  eaten  human  flesh,  but  he  says  he  is  certain 
they  are  harmless  now. 

Charles  F.  Embree. 
[From  The  Chicago  Record:  March  24,  1899.] 


THE  PURPLE  SPOT  ON  MAYA  BABIES 


HEN  I  was  in  Yucatan  in  1901  the  parish  priest 


*  *  of  Texax  told  me  that  it  was  said  that  every  pure 
blood  Maya  Indian  has  a  violet  or  purple  spot  on  his 
back,  in  the  sacral  region.  He  stated  that  this  spot  was 
called  by  the  native  name,  uits,  "bread,"  and  that  it  was 
vulgar  or  insulting  to  make  reference  to  it.  I  at  once  ex- 
amined three  Mayas  of  pure  blood  —  a  boy  of  ten  years 
and  two  adult  males  —  but  found  no  trace  of  such  a  spot.  I 
concluded  that  the  presence  of  the  spot  might  be  an  infan- 
tile character,  as  it  is  among  the  Japanese,  but  at  that  time 
I  had  no  opportunity  to  examine  Maya  babies. 

Dr.  Baelz,  a  German  physician,  who  has  spent  many 
years  in  Japan,  long  ago  called  attention  to  the  existence  of 
such  spots  on  Japanese  infants.  The  spots  described  by 
him  were  of  a  blue  or  purple  color,  were  located  upon  the 
back  (especially  in  the  sacral  region),  and  were  variable 
in  form  and  size.  They  were  temporary,  disappearing  at 
from  two  to  eight  years  of  age.  The  occurrence  of  these 
infantile  color  blotches  was  so  common  in  Japan  as  to  be 
almost  characteristic  of  the  race. 

In  time,  other  students  reported  similar  spots  on  other 
Asiatic  babies,  and  on  non-Asiatic  babies  of  Mongolian  or 
Mongoliod  peoples.  Chinese,  Annamese,  Coreans,  Green- 
land Eskimos,  and  some  Malays  are  now  known  to  have 
such  spots.  Sacral  spots  have  also  been  reported  among 
Samoans  and  Hawaiians. 

Practically,  all  these  people  belong  to  the  great  yellow 
race,  as  defined  by  De  Quatrefages,  and  are,  if  not  pure 


414 


IN  INDIAN  MEXICO 


representatives  of  that  race,  mixed  bloods,  in  part,  of  it. 
Baelz  and  some  other  writers  have,  therefore,  gone  so  far 
as  to  consider  the  purple  sacral  spot  a  mark  peculiar  to 
that  race,  and  to  believe  its  occurrence  proof  of  Mongolian 
origin.  They  have  asked  whether  the  spot  occurs  among 
American  Indians,  and  would  consider  its  occurrence  evi- 
dence of  an  Asiatic  origin  for  our  native  tribes.  Satisfac- 
tory observations  had  not  been  made.  Baelz  himself 
found  two  cases  among  Vancouver  Island  Indians. 

In  my  recent  trip  to  Mexico  I  planned  to  look  for  this 
spot  among  several  Indian  tribes.  Out  of  six  populations 
that  I  expected  to  visit  I  really  saw  but  two  —  the  Aztecs 
and  the  Mayas.  I  do  not  believe  that  the  sacral  spot 
exists  among  Aztecs.  I  made  no  search,  because  Aztec 
friends,  who  would  be  sure  to  know,  all  agreed  in  denying 
its  occurrence.  Among  the  Mayas,  the  case  is  different. 
In  the  little  Maya  town  of  Palenque  I  examined  all  the  pure 
blood  babies.  The  back  of  the  first  little  creature  bared 
for  my  inspection  bore  a  clearly  defined,  dark  blue-purple 
spot,  just  where  it  might  be  expected.  The  spot  was  almost 
two  inches  wide  and  nearly  three-fourths  of  an  inch  high. 
The  child  was  a  boy  of  eight  months.  A  brother,  two 
years  old,  showed  no  trace  of  the  spot,  but  the  mother  says 
it  was  formerly  well  defined. 

Every  one  of  the  seven  pure  Maya  babies,  below  ten 
months  old,  in  the  town  was  purple-spotted.  A  pair  of 
boy  twins,  two  months  old,  were  marked  in  precisely  the 
same  place  with  pale  blue-purple  spots,  of  the  same  size 
and  form.  In  one  boy  of  ten  months  the  spot  seemed  to  be 
disappearing  and  was  represented  by  three  ill-defined  and 
separated  blotches.  In  the  village,  there  were  three  babies 
of  suitable  age,  but  of  mixed  —  Spanish- Maya  —  blood;  no 
one  of  these  showed  any  trace  of  the  colored  spot.  We  may 
say,  then,  that  in  Palenque  every  Maya  baby  below  ten 


* 


THE  PURPLE  SPOT  ON  MAYA  BABIES  415 

months  of  age  was  sacral  spotted,  and  that  no  Mestizo  baby 
was. 

Does  this  prove  that  the  Mayas  are  Asiatics  by  ances- 
try? The  daily  press  asserts  that  I  make  that  claim;  it 
is  mistaken.  I  am  free  to  say  I  don't  know  what  to  do  with 
my  spotted  Maya  babies.  I  presume  that  Baelz  will 
cousin  them  with  his  little  Japanese. 

Frederick  Starr. 
From  The  Chicago  Tribune:  January  11,  1903. 


INDEX 


abandoned  river  course,  374. 

acacia,  97,  216. 

Acala,  48,  361. 

Agua  Bendita  (Chiap),  44,  348. 

Agua  Bendita  (Mex.),  64. 

agua  miel,  61. 

aguardiente,  255. 

Aguazotepec,  240. 

aje,  45:  insect,  46;  79. 

Ajuno,  76,  84,  107. 

Akxotla,  191. 

alcaldes  indios,  357. 

alligators,  277,  290. 

Ancona,  Bishop,  300. 

antiquities,  116,  223,  230,  239,  288,  345. 

ant  —  foraging,  289 ; —  honey,  190. 

apparition  of  the  Virgin,  395. 

Aranza,  82. 

arbol  huerfano,  196. 

arriero  —  tardy,  271; —  unreliable,  358; 

—  abandons  us,  385. 
Arroyo  —  Jefe,  247. 
Atla,  245;  carry-sacks,  256;  costume, 

256;  witchcraft,  256. 
Atlihuitzia  —  Santa  Maria,  195. 
axolotl,  64. 
ayate,  58,  267,  271. 
Ayutla,  23,  149. 

Aztec,  242,  279,  281,  283,  285,  397; 
breakfast,  196. 

babies  —  carrying,  267; — care  of,  57. 
bamboo,  289. 

band  —  Huauhtla,    237; — honors  us, 

124. 
bandolier,  318. 
Barela,  Sr.  and  Sra.,  189. 
barkpaper,  245,  246,  268. 
Baron,  293,  320. 
barranca,  190,  191,  214,  280,  363. 
Barrios  —  Pedro,  230. 
basalt,  196,  249. 
battle  of  flowers,  321. 
begonia,  246. 
Belen,  194. 
bells  —  pottery,  112. 
Benito  Juarez  —  steamer,  293. 
Bernal  Diaz,  91. 
bishop  —  Merida,  300. 
blackflies,  343. 
Blanco —  Juan,  303,  316. 


blessing  —  a  mother's,  111. 

bloom  —  trees,  340,  364. 

Boca  del  Rio  —  rancho,  168. 

books  —  Mixe,  155 ; — Mixtec,  141 ;  Zap- 

otec,  165. 
bowls  —  calabash,  353. 
boxes  —  scarce,  370. 
boy  —  work  of,  35,  37: — and  iguana, 

54- 

breech-clout,  344. 

bridge  —  covered,  77; — of  vines,  32, 

207. 
Brinton,  374. 

bromelias,  22,  27,  126,  154,  199,  207, 

219,  232. 
brujeria,  246,  256,  376. 
bull  met,  214. 
burning  fields,  374,  376. 
bust-making,  65,  99,  104,  146,  234,  382. 

de  Butrie  —  M.  and  Mme.,  235,  236, 
237- 

cactus,  8,  11,  181,  182,  217,  329; — 

pitahaya,  96, 
Cahuantzi  —  Gov.  Prospero,   85,  94, 

193. 
caimans,  290. 
cairn,  218. 
calabashes,  314. 
caladium,  201,  249. 
calandria,  334. 
Calistro  —  Antonio,  61. 
camalpa,  191. 
camaron,  276. 
Camotlan,  32,  155. 
camp  —  traveller's,  178. 
Campeche,  306,  355; —  banks,  295. 
canal,  291. 

Cancuc,  365,  366,  371,  374; —  outbreak, 
374;— reception,  375;— music,  376; 

—  dress,  377. 
Candelaria  —  Maria,  374. 

canoes,  275,  289,  360; — Tarascan,  68; 

—  travel,  277; — empty,  292. 
Canton  —  Gov.   Francisco,   300,  301, 

355- 

Capacuaro,  78,  80. 
Carapan,  104. 
Carizal,  342. 

carnival,  239,  317,  318,  321,  324. 
Carrera,  52. 

7 


4i8 


INDEX 


carretero,  333,  334,  342,  343;— camp- 
ing, 338. 

carriers,  53,  54. —  small,  but  devoted, 

384,386; — trouble,  206. 
carry-frame,  243. 
carts,  95,  333. 
cartroad,  45,  48,  139,  342. 
Carvajal,  179. 
cascades,  262. 
cascarones,  239. 

Castle,  Dr.,  164,  165,  170,  328,  329. 
Castolo  —  Zapotec  boy,  35,  159. 
cattle,  among  Juaves,  168; — loading, 

294;  driving,  348. 
cave,    near    Comitan,    50; —  witch's, 

near  Atla,  256; — near  Pantepec,269; 

near  Tekax,  313,  314. 
cave  formations,  315. 
cave  —  hat-makers,  224. 
celebration  —  St.  Martin's  eve,  62. 
cemetery  —  visits  to,  165. 
Cempoalteca  —  family,  92. 
cempoalxochil,  257. 
cenotes,  297,  316. 
chacalacca,  334,  343. 
chacmool,  319. 
chalcedony,  38,  139. 
chamara,  366,  367. 
champurado,  196. 

Chamula,  45,  365,  366,  367,  371;— 

outbreak,  366,  396. 
chapapote,  288,  291,  292. 
chavacanes,  287. 
Checheb,  366. 
Cheran,  78,  82,  106. 
chert,  129. 

Chiapa,  45,  353,  360,  361,  364;— lac- 
quer, 45. 

Chiapanecs,  361. 

Chiapas,  293,  340; — Indians,  44. 

Chicago  Record,  405; — Tribune,  411. 

Chicahuastla,  131,  396; — an  afternoon 
in,  133. 

chicha,  377. 

Chichen-Itza,  318. 

Chila,  7,  10. 

Chilchota,  98. 

child  —  deserted,  136; — grateful,  164. 
Chilon,  379. 
chinampas,  395. 

Chinantecs,  210; — land  of,  212. 
chirimiya  —  Mitla,  18; —  Los  Reyes,  91. 
Chochos,  218,  226;  hats,  224. 
Chols,    380,    389; — dress,    389; — la- 
borers, 384; — type,  389. 
Cholula,  108. 

Chontals,  173;— type,  175. 
Christmas  celebration,  71. 
church  of  the  thieves,  63. 


la  Cienega,  349. 
cincalote,  60. 
circus,  42. 
Citala,  378. 
Citlaltepec,  277,  279. 
clays,  128. 

cleanliness  of  person,  297. 
climate  —  results,  306. 
cloud-effects,    196; — lake,    26; — cat- 
aract, 28. 

coach  —  unreliable,  228,  229;  —  well- 
loaded,  315; — fictitious,  331. 
Coatlan,  34,  157. 

Coatzacoalcos,  293,  325,  326,  331,  351, 
393- 

cochero  —  troublesome,  242. 
cockroaches,  378. 
cocoa  palms,  169,  181. 
cocoles,  287. 

coffee,  155 ; —  plantation,  387 ; —  es- 
sence, 204. 

Coixtlahuaca,  220,  224,  226; — hat- 
making,    224; — celebration,  224. 

color-massing  of  flowers,  212. 

colorin  tree,  268. 

comales,  127. 

Comitan,  51. 

comiteco,  51. 

condolence  —  visit,  174. 

conglomerate,  181,  182,  377. 

Conkal,  297. 

contract-labor  system,  384,  388. 
convent-church,  140. 
cookhouse,  88. 
cooking,  339. 
copal,  252. 

Cordoba  woman,  217,  227. 

Cordova — Javier,  128,  135. 

corpse  rejected,  189. 

Cortez'  trail,  196. 

cosmopolitan  group,  325. 

costumbre-annual, —  Otomi,  250; — To- 

tonac,  252. 
costume,   242; — Juave,   169; — Maza- 

teco,  221;  —  Mixtec,  127;  —  Otomi, 

58,  258; — Totonac,  252;  —  Tzotzil, 

49; — Zapotec,  40,  177. 
cotones  —  see  costume, 
cotton  —  beating,  202. 
counterfeiters  in  Tlaxcala,  94. 
couple  —  mysterious,  354. 
Coyotepec,  113. 
crabs,  326. 

Cristobal  martyr  boy,  195. 
crosses,  269. 
crucified  child,  366. 

la  Cruzada,  387,  391: — unsettled  con- 
ditions, 391. 
Cuaquitepec,  377,  378. 


INDEX 


419 


Cuauhtepec,  251. 
cuezcomate,  88,  190. 
Cuezcomate  —  the,  189. 
Cuicatlan,  181,  198,  215,  227. 
Culin  —  Mr.,  263,  269. 
Cuquila,  129,  137. 
customs-house,  295. 
cycle  superstition,  139. 
cypress,  139. 

dance  wands,  257. 
dancers,  317,  325. 

danza,  265,  268; — de  la  Conquista,  30; 
—  de  los  Negros,  287 ; —  de  los  mes- 
tizos, 325. 

date  palm,  126. 

deaf-mutism,  48,  49,  79,  205. 

December,  12,  395. 

deer,  43. 

deformity,  155. 

Diaz  —  President  Porfirio,  ix,  396,  397. 

Diego —  Juan,  395. 

disaster  to  plates,  365. 

distance  marks,  309. 

distilleries,  51,  315. 

disturbance  —  village,  202. 

Dona  Cecilia,  293. 

Dos  Rios,  56. 

doves,  219,  288. 

dragon-tree,  246. 

drinking,  207. 

drunken  officials,  24,  25,  29,  71,  72,  80, 

144,  201 ;— visitor,  335. 
ducks,  278. 
dulces,  314. 

dynamiting  streams,  251,  360. 
eagle,  166,  219. 

earthquake,  137,  138; —  Tehuantepec, 

161;  Papalo,  183. 
echo,  90. 
eggs,  159. 

Ellsworth  Mr.,  385,  392. 
Embree  Mr.,  410. 
enagua,  see  costume, 
enchiladas,  286. 
Esperanza  mule-line,  7. 
Espindola,  Sr.,  331,  332,  333. 
Espinola  —  Macario,  1 20. 
Etta,  116. 
Expeditions,  vii. 
Eurosa  —  Sr.,  246. 

Eustacio,  our  carretero,  333,  334,  336, 
340,  34i,  344,  347,  348,  349,  352,  379- 

excitement  —  political,  191,  193. 

exorbitant  charges,  8,  9 ;  —  Ixcuintepec, 
33;  —  Xalapa,  174;  —  Tequixistlan, 
175 ;  —  Tulancingo,  etc.,  241 ;  — Hua- 
chinango,  243; — Huehuetla,  271. 


faja  —  see  costume. 

fans  used  in  dance,  318. 

feather-work,  82. 

Feb.  5,  celebration,  224. 

female  beauty,  352. 

feria  at  Comitan,  51. 

ferns,  23,  27,  44,  154,  199,  207,  249. 

Fernandez  —  Leandro,  x. 

Fernandez  —  Sr.,  320,  323. 

fever,  151,  387. 

fiesta  —  San  Marcos,  3 1 . 

fishes,  317. 

fishing  —  night,  265 ;  —  handnets,  266; 

dynamite,  360. 
flight  of  the  Virgin,  196. 
floats  in  procession,  31^. 
flora,  201,   249,  262,  296; — contrast 

on  two  slopes,  23,  154,  199,  232; — 

curious  assemblage,  118; — land  of 

Mixes,  22; — tropical,  387. 
flowering  shrubs,  22. 
fog,  27,  126,  132. 
forest  fire,  34. 

Frank,  189,  192,  200,  209,  213,  216. 
Frontera,  393. 
frost,  245,  251. 
fugitive  Jefe,  136. 

funeral  —  an  interrupted,  125; — time- 
ly, 180; —  procession,   199,  332. 

Gillow  —  Archbishop  Eulogio,  3.  6 
glossary,  399. 
godhouse,  88. 

Godinez  —  Ramon,  viii,  200,  209,  272, 

273>  276,  3°8,  3i3,  319,  324,  332,  335, 

349,  382,  383. 
goitre,  48,  49,  79,  155. 
gold  coins  worn,  40,  52,  353. 
Gonzales  —  Manuel,  viii,  108-m,  115, 

156,  166,  171,  184,  189,  194,  198,  200, 

209,  210,  241,  273,  276,  289,  290,  324, 

33°,  334,  348,  349- 
Gonzales  —  Gov.  Martin,  vii,  114. 
Grabic  —  Louis,  viii,   189,  192,  198, 

200,  209,  210,  241,  273,  276,  306,  313 

318,  329,  348. 
granary,  60,  88,  190. 
granite,  38. 

greetings  —  New  Year,  114. 
grippe,  186. 
Guadalupe,  395. 

Guadalupe,  our  cook  at  Tancoco,  284, 

286. 
guamara,  280. 

Guatemala,    43,    52,    340;  —  money, 
5*- 

Gutierrez  Zamora,  281. 
Guvifio,  41,  333. 
Guzman  —  Gamboa,  301. 


420 


INDEX 


hairless  dog,  330. 

hares,  171. 

hats,  127,  224,  284. 

hauling  timber,  95. 

hennequin,  296; — treatment,  309. 

Herman,  1,  5,  9. 

herons,  278,  291.  . 

Hidalgo  —  steamer,  325. 

highroad,  40,  173. 

h'men,  307,  310. 

honey-wine,  191. 

horse  falls,  218; — ill,  115,  178,  179. 
hot  springs,  96. 

houses  —  Aztec,  283 ; —  Huaxtec,  284 ; 

—  Tarascan,  97 ; —  Totonac,  268. 
Hrdlicka  —  his  work,  v. 
Huachinango,  242. 

Huaclilla,  119. 
Huancito,  99. 

Huauhtla  —  view,    232;  —  town,  233; 

—  trade,  235; — labor  ideas,  235. 
Huautla,  218. 

Huaxteca  verucruzana,  274; — poto- 
sina,  274. 

Huaxtecs,  261,  274,  279,  281; — char- 
acter, 285; — type,  286. 

huehuetes  =  los  viejos,  243. 

huehuetl,  91 ; —  (wrongly  so-called),  287 
318,  358,  376. 

Huehuetla,  247,  261,  263. 

Huejutla,  283. 

Huilotepec,  166,  328,  330,  331. 
huipil,  huipili,  see  costume, 
huitzatl,  191. 

Huixquilucan,  56,  59,  245 ;—  thieves, 
63. 

Huixtan,  366. 

Humboldt  —  Alexander,  at  Tule,  16. 
husband  —  devoted,  186. 
husk-stacks,  60. 
Hyde,  Dr.  George  B.,  15. 

idols,  253. 

Ignacio  —  boy  at  Chilchota,  102. 
iguana,  54,  327. 
imbecility,  48,  205. 
incense,  368. 

indian  government,  49,  357. 
Indian  Mexico,  v.  396. 
injured  carter,  336. 
interpreter  —  false,  383. 
irrigation,  96. 
Irvine,  Captain,  294. 
Isidro  —  uncle,  193. 
Itztlis,  240. 
Ixcotla,  193. 

Ixcoyotla  (bark  paper),  268. 
Ixcuintepec,  33,  156,  157. 
Ixhuatlan,  338,  340. 


Ixtaltepec,  333. 
Ixtapa,  363,  373. 
ixtli,  58,  59. 
Ixtacalco,  395. 
Ixtapalapa,  395. 

Jacona,  98. 

jail  —  San  Cristobal,  367. 
Janicho,  74. 
Japanese,  41. 
javali,  334. 

jefe  politico  —  drunk,  328; —  inefficient, 
182,  185,  198,  216; — his  relation  to 
his  people,  vii ; —  as  peacemaker,  353 ; 
—  of  Tuxtla  Gutierrez,  356; — of 
Tulancingo  —  natural  son  of,  247. 

Jiquipilas,  43,  349. 

jonote,  246,  269. 

jornada,  338. 

Juanico,  179. 

Juarez  —  President  Benito,  397. 
Juaves,  164,  165,  168,  331,  337,  338;— 

type,     169; — night-watch,     170; — 

singing,  171. 
Juchitan,  41,   161,  333,  338,  343; — 

trader,  170. 
juiles,  395. 

Juquila  (Mixe),  29,  151. 
Juxtlahuaca  —  Jefe  of,  136. 

Kan  —  Modesto,  312. 
ke'esh,  305. 
kingfisher,  291. 

labor  congress,  45. 
laborers  for  Yucatan,  294. 
lacquer — Chiapa,  45,  361; — Uruapang. 
lagoons,  276,  277,  290,  336. 
Lake   Chapala,   68 ; —  Patzcuaro,  68, 
76. 

landslide,  181. 

Lang, —  Charles  B.,  viii,  115,  179,  184. 
leaf- water,  193. 

Leal  —  Manuel,  Fernandez,  ix. 
Leandro,  secretario  Tamalin,  287. 
Leon  —  Governor  Francisco,  45,  342. 
Leyra  —  Pablo,  246,  260,  263,  271. 
libation,  255. 
lightning,  183. 

limestone,  18,  44,  50,  52,  126,  217,  249, 
262,  296,  306,  314,  363,  364,  373;— 
erosion,  118; — hills,  219. 

llano,  278,  281,  341,  363. 

la  Llave,  277,  278. 

Lopez  —  Lieut. -Governor,  351,  381. 

lost  at  night,  167. 

Lumholtz  —  Charles,  v.,  79,  80,  83. 
Lux  —  Ernst,  vii,  3,  10,  14,  159. 
lycopods,  154,  199. 


INDEX 


421 


macaws,  4,  340. 
Macuilapa,  345. 
Magdalena  de  los  comales,  127. 
maguey,  60,  119. 
mai,  367. 
malacates,  59. 
Malintzi,  188,  189. 
mangroves,  290. 
mantas,  128,  148. 
Manuel,  our  arriero,  218,  219. 
mapa,  236,  330. 
mapachtli,  329. 
mapaho,  202,  207. 
Marcelo  —  Alejandro,  279. 
Maria  as  a  female  name,  56. 
marimba,  42,  346. 
Mariano,  our  mozo,  115,  119,  156. 
market  —  Tehuantepec,  162; — Oaxaca, 
112. 

Martinez  —  Quirino,  249. 
Martinez  —  Silvano,  78,  80,  83. 
maskers,  71,  240,  243. 
Mayas,  297,  304,  396,  397; — stubborn- 
ness, 312. 

Mazatecs — costume,  234; — houses,  233. 
measuring  —  Mitla,  146; —  Ayutla,  149. 
Medellin,  14. 
medical  practice,  36. 
Mendieta,  195. 

Mercado  —  Governor  Aristeo,  78. 

Merida,  295,  297,  301,  315,  355 ;—  ex- 
pensive living,  298; — carnival,  318, 
321. 

mesquite,  97. 

Mexicalcingo,  395. 

Mexico  —  steamer,  393,  394. 

miraculous  cross,  6. 

mist,  22,  27. 

Mitla  —  ruins,  4; —  Mixes  seen  at, 
13; — festival,  17; —  fiesta,  142; — 
work  at,  144; — ruins,  148. 

Mixes,  112,  398; — first  veiw  of,  13; — 
tragedy,  18; — land  of,  22; — life, 
23;— roads,  31. 

Mixtec,  115,  139; — boy,  397; — lan- 
guage, 140; — planter,  204. 

mogote,  78,  81. 

mole,  222. 

money  —  Guatemalan,  51. 
monkey's  comb,  340. 
Montezuma,  250,  260. 
moon  influences  young,  217. 
moonstone,  64. 
Mora  —  Senora,  278. 
moral  =  mulberry,  246,  259. 
Morrison  —  Stanton,  389. 
mosquitoes,  289. 

moss,  273;  — crimson,  214; — gray, 
232,  277;  yellow,  199,  214. 


mounds,  116. 
moving  stone,  349. 
mulada,  387. 

mule  —  purchase,   15 ; —  accident,  33 ; 

—  trouble  by,  44; — trouble  with,  52; 

—  gives  out,  53;  —  reported  dead, 
117. 

muleteer  —  affectionate,  179. 
munecos,  246,  250,  258,  261,  268,  269. 
Murcio  —  Don,  369. 
Murcio  —  Guillermo,  129,  131,  136. 
Museo  Yucateco,  301. 
music  —  of  the   Candelaria,    24; — at 
Los  Reyes,  91. 

Nabor  —  Don,  98. 
nacimiento,  195. 
nagual,  166. 

names  of  one  river,  251. 
Negrete,  95. 
los  negritos,  82. 
Nehuatzen,  84. 
Nenton,  49,  52. 

New    Year  —  celebration,    82; — gifcs, 
339- 

night-blindness,  164. 
night-travel,  172. 
night-watch,  170. 
Nochixtlan,  120. 

norther,  21,  22,  33,  158,  294,  326,  327, 
393- 

nublina,  232,  233,  261,  272. 

Oaxaca,  4,  6,  15,  112. 
obsidian,  240. 
ocellated   turkey,  318. 
Ocosingo,  375. 

Ocotepec  (Mixe),  153,  154, —  (Mixtec), 

112. 
oleander,  174. 

Once  Pueblos,  98; — ride  through,  102. 

operation  proposed,  136. 

orchids,  23,  27,  44,  126,  154,  199,  201, 

207,  212,  232,  248. 
organo  cactus,  18. 
Orozco  y  Berra,  131,  245,  264. 
Otomis,    56,    242,    261,   397,  398;— 

female  type,   57: — costume,   58; — 

male  types,  62. 
ox-cart  —  travel,  334,  336,  337,  338, 

340; — accident,  341. 
ox  played  out,  347. 
Ozuluama,  274,  278; —  Jefe,  of  276. 

Pacheco  —  Anselmo,  viii,  115,  168,  184. 
Pacific,  37,  43.  112,  132,  160,  165;  — 

coast  —  yellow  fever,  329. 
Padre  —  the,   his  story,  1 ;  — at  Chila, 
10; — at  Medellin,  14. 


422  INDEX 


paganism  surviving,  254,  269,  305,  307. 

pahuatl,  245. 

Pahuatlan,  242,  244. 

Pahuatlan  River,  242. 

Palacios  —  Conrado,  351. 

Palenque,  377. 

palms,  277,  278,  296. 

Pantepec,  247,  265;   costume,  267; — 

houses,  268; — women,  267. 
Panuco,  283. 
Panuco  River,  274. 
Papalo,  182,  198,  214. 
papaya,  309. 
parasitic  fig,  340. 
el  Parian,  118. 
Parracho,  81. 
parrots,  41,  166,  262,  334. 
Paso  Real,  288,  289. 
pastores,  72. 
Patzcuaro,  84,  107. 
pea-flower,  201. 
Pearson  Company,  326. 
pebbles  wedged  by  torrent,  266. 
pelico,  367. 
pemol,  287. 
peonage,  45. 
Peru  tree  —  belief,  194. 
piano,  208. 
Pichataro,  84,  106. 
pigeons,  219. 

pigs,  377- 

pilgrimage,  48. 

Pimentel  —  Governor,  351. 

pineapples,  361. 

pines,  128,  182,  371. 

pinguicula,  154. 

pinolillos,  347. 

los  Pinos,  344,  345- 

pinto,  47,  332,  353,  361. 

pitahaya  (cactus),  96,  216. 

pito,  287,  358,  377. 

plaster  prepared,  135. 

le  Plongeon  —  Dr.  A.,  301. 

Polydactyly,  205. 

Ponce;  Padre,  70,  71,  72,  73. 

population  of  Mexico,  v. 

Porfiria,  Aztec  cook,  286. 

posole,  343,  379. 

pottery,  102,  112,  127,  137,  332,  339. 

pouch  —  netted,  367. 

Powell  —  William  D.,  viii,  56. 

predictions  dire,  374. 

presidente  —  sleepy,  267 ; —  Zautla,  201. 

priest  —  drunken,  145; — ignorant,  4; 
active ,  234; —  gifts  to ,  1 23 ; —  recep- 
tion of,  124. 

priestess  —  pagan,  254. 

prisoners,  368; — of  state,  354. 

private  cart,  345- 


Progress,  295,  299,  320,  324. 
Puebla,  283,  300,  330. 
Pueblo  Viejo,  274,  275. 
pulque,  61,  119; — country,  240. 
puma,  41. 
pumice,  128. 
pygmy  statue,  57. 
pyramid,  303,  362. 

quail,  306. 

quarrel  adjusted,  354. 
Quartz,  18. 

Quechol  —  Romualdo,  188,  189,  191, 

192,  194,  196. 
Quezaltepec,  31,  155 
quichiquemil,  see  costume. 
Quiero  —  Senor,  13,  17. 
Quiroga,  69,  70. 

railroad  —  Yucatecan,  296,  303. 
rain  ceremonials,  271. 
rain-god,  6. 
rattle,  318. 

Rau  —  Enrique,  385,  386,  390. 
rebozos  (Parracho),  81. 
regidor  perplexed,  162. 
resting  at  summit,  373. 
los  Reyes,  90. 
rheumatism  cure,  330. 
rhododendron,  22. 
ridge  in  Yucatan,  306. 
la  Riviera,  291. 

road  (" rio  blanca"),  219; —  dilapidated, 
241. 

roads  —  mixe,  156;  Zapotec,  177. 

Robinson,  A.  A.,  ix. 

robbery,  63. 

rock-impressions,  196. 

Rodriguez;  Governor  Pedro  L.,  247. 

round  houses,  131. 

ruins  (Tecomavaca),  186. 

Sabina,  84,  106. 
sacrifice,  252,  254. 
salt,  373. 

el  Salto,  381,  389,  391. 
San  Antonio,  49. 

San  Antonio,  228; — excitement  at,  231. 

San  Bartolo  (Hacienda),  19. 

San  Bartolo   (Hidalgo),    261,    271; — 

market,  262. 
San  Bartolo  (Mixtec),  126. 
San  Bartolo  (Zapotec),  176; — costume, 

177. 

San  Bartolome  (Tzotzil),  49,  366. 

San  Bernardino,  232. 

San  Bias,  164. 

San  Carlos,  152,  177. 

San  Cristobal  (Chiapas),  364,  365,  385. 


INDEX 


423 


San  Estevan,  88. 

San  Francisco,  191. 

San  Geronimo  (Mazatec),  232. 

San  Geronimo  (Huaxtec),  288. 

San  Geronimo  (Zapotec),  331,  332. 

San  Gregorio,  245,  268. 

San  Juan  (Yucatan),  308,  309. 

San  Lorenzo;   14,  18. 

San  Lucas,  232,  235. 

San  Mateo  del  Mar,  168,  334. 

San  Miguel,  34,  157. 

San  Miguel  (Chiapas),  344,  345. 

San  Nicolas,  260. 

San  Nicolas  Panotla,  92,  397. 

San    Pablito,    246,    259; — witchcraft, 

257;— PaPer,  259. 
San  Pablo  el  grande,  258,  261. 
San  Pedrito,  119. 
San  Pedro,  190. 

San  Pedro  Soochiapan,  207 ; —  town- 
house,  208; — public  service,  209; 
houses,  212. 

San  Sebastian,  364. 

Sanchez  —  Padre,  364. 

sandstone,  374,  377. 

sand  dollars,  327. 

sandunga  (song),  330. 

Santa  Ana,  188. 

Santa  Anita,  395. 

Santa  Fe  de  la  Laguna,  69. 

Santa  Maria,  38,  160. 

Santa  Maria  (Totonac),  250. 

Santa  Maria  (Yucatan),  307. 

Santa  Maria  Albarradas,  20. 

Santa  Maria  Athihuitzia,  195. 

Santiago  Guevea,  37,  158. 

santo-calli,  254. 

Santo  Domingo  (Chiapas),  350. 

Santo  Domingo  (Mixtec),  127. 

sastun,  307,  310. 

Sawapa,  89,  194. 

schistose  rock,  182. 

school-teachers,  224. 

scientific  results  of  work,  viii. 

school  at  San  Nicolas  Panotla,  93. 

scorpion,  394. 

sea  gulls,  290. 

las  Sedas,  116. 

segundo  of  Zautla,  203,  204. 

selaginella,  154. 

Seler  —  Mrs.,  331. 

semi-domestication,  343. 

sensitive  plants,  201. 

September  16,  San  Miguel's  Day,  271. 

shales,  377. 

shaly-sandstone,  374. 

silk,  235. 

singing,  171,  192. 

sister  —  loyal,  361. 


slate,  20. 

small-pox,  119,  194,  301,  321. 
Smith  —  Lucius,  4,  15. 
smuggling,  51. 
snakes,  277,  307,  358. 
snipe,  290. 
soldiers,  43. 

songs  —  Aztec,  192; — Zapotec,  330. 
spear-thrower,  75. 
spinning,  58,  202. 

spot-sacral  —  on  Maya  babies,  411. 
stalagmite,  315. 
Starr  in  Old  Mexico,  405. 
stations  —  railroad,  303. 
streambeds  dry,  41. 
stubbornness,  312. 
subterranean  streams,  373. 
Suchiapa,  361. 

sugar-making,  244,  249,  314, —  mill,  307 
sunset,  192. 

surviving  paganism,  6,  395. 
syenite,  43. 
Syrian  peddlers,  7. 

Tamalin,  279,  281. 
Tampico,  274. 

Tanaquillo=Tanaco,  104,  105. 
Tanatepec,  42. 
Tanchitla,  251. 

Tancoco,    281,    284; — hats,     284; — ■ 

houses,  284. 
Tangancicuaro,  98. 
Tantima,  280,  282;  houses,  283,  286. 
Tapachula,  373. 
Tarascans,  68; —  trading,  85. 
Tatarian  —  Bedros,  viii. 
Tecomavaca,  185. 
Tecomavaca  Viejo,  186. 
Tehuacan,  8. 

Tehuantepec,    39,    161,    328; — name 

story,  165; — yellow  fever,  329. 
Tehuantepec  River,  173. 
Tehuantepec    women,    112; —  beauty, 

39;  —  versus  Tuxtla  Gutierrez,  352; 

—  dress,  40. 
Tekax,    303,    305; — hermita,    304; — 

Jefe  of,  304. 
temascal,  191,  192,  283. 
Tenango  (Chiapas),  376; —  pottery,  377. 
Tenango  del  Doria,  247,  260,  271. 
Tenejapa,  366,  367,  371;  market,  372. 
Teotitlan  del  Camino,  228,  229. 
tepache,  148,  217. 
Tepanapa,  200,  213. 
Tepehuas,  247,  267; — costume,  264. 
Tepeyac,  395. 
teponastl,  265. 
Teposcolula,  139. 
Tequixistlan,  174. 


424 


INDEX 


thatching,  41. 
theatre,  103. 

tiger=jaguar,  or  ocelotl,  307. 
tiger-cat,  279. 

Thompson  —  Edward,  318,  320. 

three-part  house,  88. 

Tilantongo,  121. 

tinajas,  119. 

Titian  —  the,  73,  74. 

titulo,  236. 

Tlacolula,  142,  180. 

Tlacotepec,  38,  160. 

Tlacuilotepec,  246,  248,  249. 

Tlaxcala,  85,  188,  192,  283. 

Tlaxcalans,  397. 

Tlaxcalteca  (song),  192. 

Tlaxco,  245. 

Tlaxiaco,  128. 

toro  play,  324,  384. 

toros,  142.  , 

torrent- wash,  82. 

Torres  —  Anastasia,  362. 

Torres  —  Padre,  72. 

tortillas,  339. 

tortuga,  318,  377. 

las  Tortugas,  272. 

Totolapa,  179. 

Totonacs,  242,  247,  251,  265,  396; — 

fishing,  266. 
toucan,  44,  340,  348. 
trade,  170,  235,  236. 
tramp  —  American,  50,  52. 
tree-ferns,  22,  54,  199,  273,  387. 
trees  protected,  297,  309. 
la  Trinidad,  390. 
Triquis,  131,  398. 

el  Triunfo,  385,  386,  387,  388,  389. 
tropical  forest,  22,  37,  387. 
troupe  —  comedy,  337. 
tsupakwa,  75. 
tufa,  50. 

tufaceous  deposits,  119,  139,  263. 
Tulancingo,  239. 
Tule,  17,  142; — great  tree  at,  16. 
Tumbala,  380,  384,  385,  389;— boys 

delayed  at,  388. 
Tuxtla  Gutierrez,  44,  331,  333,  335, 

338,  346,  347,  35°,  35i   et,  357, 

376. 

Tzendals,  366,  367,  378; — dress,  372, 

380; —  hair-dressing,  372. 
Tzintzuntzan,  69,  73. 
Tzotzils,  45,  366,  367; — dress,  366; — 

industrious,  366. 

ucuares,  102. 
ule,  269. 

Union   Hidalgo  =  Guvifio,    333,  334, 
335>  343- 


United  States  —  ideas  regarding,  42. 
Uruapan,   78; — lacquer,   79; — goitre, 
79- 

Valencia — Jefe,  178,  375. 
Valley  hot,  181. 
Van  Antwerp  —  A.  L.,  ix. 
Venta  Colorado,  241. 
Vera  Cruz,  394. 
Vice-consul  (Solis),  299,  320. 
los  Vicjos,  71. 
view-extended,  362. 
village  crying,  65,  153. 

wasp  nests,  156. 

watch-houses  in  fields,  120. 

water  birds,  277; — doubtful,  341. 

wayside  selling,  76,  242. 

wayside  shrine,  28. 

weaving,  50,  127,  138,  202,  211,  366. 

wedding,  221,  236. 

weighing,  170. 

Werner,  Mr.,  331. 

wheels  —  hot,  349. 

whistles  —  pottery,  112. 

Wilson,  David  A.,  viii. 

windmills,  297. 

witchcraft,  246,  256,  376; — cave, 
256. 

women  difficult  subjects,  89,  132,  157, 
162,  185,  268,  369,  381;  —  easy 
subjects,  235,  265,  285;  —  of  Tuxtla 
Gutierrez  beautiful,  352;  —  Zapotec. 

339- 
wool,  138. 

work  —  nature  of,  vi; —  views  regarding, 
235; — methods  and  difficulties,  61, 
86,  122,  132,  144,  149,  183,  234,  312, 
356. 

wrynecks,  278. 

xalama,  259. 
Xalapa,  173. 
Xaya,  307,  308,  309. 
Xochihua,  Sr.,  245,  260. 
xtoles,  317,  323. 

Yajalon,  379,  381. 
Yaqui,  396. 
Yautepec,  375. 

yellow  fever,  301,  308,  316,  327,  328, 

329>  393- 
Yodocono,  120,  396. 
Yucatan,  293,  294; — aspect  of,  296; — 

dress,  297. 

Zamora,  97. 
Zanatepec,  42. 
el  Zapato,  219. 


INDEX 


425 


Zapote  (hacienda),  346. 

Zapotecs,  112,  338,  379,  397;— 
wounded,  19; — woman's  dress,  34; 
—  family,  34; —  traders,  170; —  cook, 
171;— family,  176;— songs,  330;— 
painting,  330; — expansion,  339. 


Zautla  —  San  Juan,  201. 
Zinacantan,  364. 
Ziracuaretaro,  77. 

Zoques,  45,  351; — beauty  of  women, 
35  2 ;—  dress,  35  2 ;—  baby-carrying, 
353J-  houses,  357. 


\ 


GETTY  CENTER  LIBRARY 


